Complications
by AccioVoldemortsNose
Summary: For Gwendolyn Rogers, life seems to be settling down after almost dying. But for an Avenger, life can never stay that way. So once an old foe returns with a vengeance, a doctor experiments in hopes of gaining a missing arm and a group of four people are made fantastic, chaos erupts once more.
1. Chapter One

**Hey, we've got to stop meeting like this people. No I'm joking.**

**First of all, if you don't know who Gwendolyn Powers is, you should read "Powers," "Energies" and "Alliances" first.**

**Second, just like the last three, new characters will be added to the story. I do not own them. From the summary I think you can guess four of them.**

**Third, I own nothing you recognize.**

**Fourth, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter One**

There was only one place where Gwendolyn Powers, now Rogers, could find some peace and quiet and that was while laying in bed with her husband on Saturday mornings. Just about every other day involved some sort of chaos, especially during the wedding of Tony and Pepper Stark. Pepper had made Gwen her maid of honor and Tony had made Steve his Best Man seeing as Rhodey and some other West Coast Avengers were sent to check out a possible AIM location a few days before the wedding and Steve happily took his place.

Since then, April had turned into May and even the end of this month was nearing. Which also meant Gwen's birthday was coming soon. But she tried not to think about that. Right at this moment she was trying to focus on the figuring out the shapes Steve's thumb was absentmindedly drawing on her arm.

It was warm and cozy under the covers and Gwen basically felt like a caterpillar in a cocoon. She wouldn't be surprised if she got up and was suddenly a beautiful butterfly. However, Gwen really had no intention of getting up despite the fact she was awake. She wasn't entirely sure if her husband was or not, but judging by the sound of his breathing, he was awake. But it seemed he would fall asleep at any moment. She really loved times like these seeing as they were becoming very rare.

Gwen was taken out of her thoughts as the phone rang. She groaned and reached out to grab it. However, Steve's arms were around her and he pulled her close to him again like a child who was possessive of his toys.

"Let it ring," he mumbled in a voice deep with sleep.

"But what if it's-"

"_Let it ring_."

Gwen huffed, but settled back down on the bed. She closed her eyes as the phone finished ringing. She could hear her voice coming from the kitchen as the call went to the answering machine. There was a beep and a familiar voice started talking.

"Hey, Gwendolyn, it's Bruce," said the scientist. "We, uh, well, Hank was giving us a visit here while Janet's working with Erik in LA and Tony, Peter and I were helping him with a new model of his helmet, but it uh, well we sort of broke it and Hank shrunk down and now we can't find him. So anyway, we know that you are probably the only person who won't tell Janet because we know she'd freak out so if you could, please come to the labs and help us. Thanks, and don't tell Janet."

There was another beep as Bruce hung up. Silence hung in the room for a few extra seconds.

"You do realize you'll have to let me go, right?" asked Gwen.

"But I'm so comfortable."

"I am too, but I don't want Tony stepping on Hank."

Steve groaned as Gwen shifted out from under his grasp and slithered out of the bed. Steve was back asleep almost immediately.

Gwen knew she had to hurry there before something really bad happened so she skipped taking a shower for the time being and ate a chocolate chip muffin while brushing out her curls. She then threw on a button down shirt and rolled up the sleeves as the weather was finally turning warm again. She rolled up the ends of her jeans as well as her capris were in the wash.

By the time she was ready to go, Steve was just finally getting up. She gave him a quick kiss that he was too tired to respond to and grabbed her bag before heading out the door.

Gwen drove her blue Beetle from Queens to Manhattan and ended up in the parking garage for Avengers Tower. She got out and locked the car before getting in the elevator.

"JARVIS-"

"Sending you up there, now, Agent Rogers," said the AI before she could finish.

"Thanks. Y'know, Tony should've named you Alfred."

"Would that be in reference to the Batman comics?"

"Wow, didn't think you were Batman fan."

The elevator doors opened. "You have no idea."

Gwen smiled as she stepped out and turned to the right where Tony was sitting on the floor with a magnifying glass. Bruce was standing at a gleaming white counter, looking like he was attempting to put the pieces of Hank's helmet back together. And then there was Peter who was scribbling down something on a piece of paper, his face so close to it that she was sure he'd have lead on his nose.

"You called?" asked Gwen, breaking the silence of the science bros.

They all looked up at the same time. Bruce looked relieved, Tony smiled and Peter pushed up his glasses to reveal he did indeed have lead on his nose.

"Gwenie!" exclaimed Tony, not moving a muscle. "Be careful where you step. Pym could be anywhere."

"And why did he shrink?"

"He said that if someone breaks his helmet, he's shrinking down to the size of an ant and never growing back," answered Peter while staring at Bruce.

"It shocked me!" defended Bruce, taking off his glasses and setting them down on the counter. "I was afraid that it would make the other guy come out."

"Let me guess," said Gwen, "you dropped it."

"Exactly."

Gwen sighed. "Hank! If you don't stop this immaturity, I'm calling Janet and telling her that you got drunk and thought it'd be funny to climb into a mouse hole you found!"

"Oh dear God, don't tell her that."

At the sound of the voice behind her, Gwen turned to see her blonde and genius friend who was wearing his red suit that changed size with him.

She smiled. "Thank you, my work here is done."

"Actually," said Tony, "it's not."

"Well, it's Saturday and I don't need to be here so yeah, it is."

Gwen began making her way to the elevator.

"You can't put this off forever!" she heard Tony call.

Gwen stopped in her tracks. Something was off. She turned back to the science bro group and raised her eyebrows. Hank's helmet was now completely repaired as if it had barely been broken in the first place. Peter wasn't paying any attention and was back to scribbling. Hank was putting his regular clothes back on over his suit.

"This was a setup," observed Gwen and scoffed as Tong shrugged. "I told you I don't want a birthday party! Now if you'll excuse me, I'll see you tonight, Tony."

Gwen walked towards the elevator and even pressed the button when it wouldn't open.

"JARVIS-"

"Mr. Stark has requested that I lock you in here, Agent Rogers."

"Tony, let me out!"

"Not until we talk," replied Tony who had gotten off the floor and was standing behind her.

Gwen sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I told you that I don't want a big party," said Gwen as calmly as she could. "I said a small party is fine, but I know you want big."

"Come on Gwenie," argued Tony. "You almost died two months ago! You need to celebrate life!"

"Is Pepper putting you up to this?"

"Nah, she's too busy looking for an assistant. Or two."

"Two? Why two?"

"You're changing the subject here."

"I didn't want to talk about this subject in the first place!"

Tony sighed and approached her, grasping her upper arms.

"You only turn twenty-five once," he stated.

"Tony, please, I don't want a big celebration."

"Well, you're getting one and if you don't go along with it you're not getting anything you want. It'll be what Pepper wants."

"That'll be expensive."

"Uh, _yeah_."

Gwen turned to the others in the lab. "Does anyone have my back here."

Hank looked at his bare wrist. "Oh, look at the time. I'm supposed to be flying back to LA in five minutes."

He then proceeded to leave the lab, JARVIS letting him through the elevator. Gwen tried to follow, but Tony's grasp was too strong.

"You suck," she told the genius.

"That's what she said," he replied with a straight face.

"Very mature. Bruce?"

Bruce looked up from the counter. "It's not my decision."

"But would you have a birthday party if you were me?"

"Well, I don't know. I'm not you."

Gwen groaned and felt like stomping her foot. Was no one going to side with her on this issue?

"Peter?" she asked hopefully to the teenager.

"I'm just studying for my finals," he answered without looking up.

Gwen turned back to Tony. "I just think there are more important things to focus on right now. Like, why did Fury ban us from investigating Oscorp?"

"Wait," said Peter, "when did this happen?"

"Last month."

"Oh."

"Gwenie," said Tony, "since when is Fury doing something like that suspicious? He always does things like that. It's one of the reasons everyone hates him."

"But what about that Connors guy?" asked Gwen.

"Doctor Connors?" asked Peter, whose full attention was now on Gwen.

"Yeah, him."

"He worked with my-"

"Sir," interrupted JARVIS, "Professor Xavier is waiting for you in the lobby."

"Oh yeah," said Tony. "I was supposed to meet with him, like, ten minutes ago."

"That's why he arrived exactly ten minutes late, sir."

"What, the guy's a fortune teller now?"

"No, he just knew you were occupied."

Tony sighed. "He's probably in my head right now."

"In your head?" asked Gwen as Tony let go of her and start quickly organizing some papers. "Who's in your head."

"Charles Xavier," answered Tony. "That's right, Xavier. I know you're listening."

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "So what, the guy can read thoughts?"

"Something like that." Tony looked up at Bruce. "Hey Banner, you should come with me."

"No, I shouldn't," answered Bruce without looking up.

"Come on, the guy won't bite. I'm sure he'd love to meet you."

"Or do you mean the other guy?"

"Trust me, Xavier isn't some scientist that wants your DNA."

"Then who is he?" asked Gwen.

"He's-" Tony stopped himself as he looked at Gwen. He furrowed his brow for a moment before he seemed to realize something. "He's like you."

"Like me? What d'you mean like me?"

"You are exactly what he needs."

Gwen furrowed her brow. "Tony, what are you talking about."

"I hope you don't mind that I tell him about you," continued Tony as he finished staking his papers.

"Well, if you would tell me what your talking about I could give you a proper answer."

"I'll tell you tonight."

Tony then proceeded to grab Bruce by the elbow who exclaimed, "I wasn't finished yet!" and then dragged him to the elevator.

"Why can't you tell me now?" asked Gwen. "I mean, the last time you talked to someone about me I ended up joining SHIELD."

Tony and Bruce stopped in front of the elevator doors.

"Which was a good thing," argued Tony. "If you hadn't you'd be unmarried in Malibu. Unless you met that one actor you were obsessed with and married him."

"Tony, Robert Downey Junior is at least twenty years older than me and is already married."

The doors opened and Tony and Bruce stepped inside, the latter much more reluctantly.

"You could've become a homewrecker," stated Tony as the doors closed, leaving Gwen looking at steel.

Once the elevator left, Gwen sighed and turned to Peter.

"Well, I'll see you later," she said.

"Wait!"

Gwen stopped from turning around and looked at Peter.

"I know about Doctor Connors," he said. "My dad used to work with him."

Gwen licked her lips while in thought. Then an idea popped into her head.

"How would you like to tell me everything you know about Connors?" she asked.

"Well, I don't really know all that much..."

"Then we'll have to fix that." Gwen turned to go to the elevator. "Let's go."

"Wait, where are we going?"

Gwen threw Peter a mischievous smile.

"We're going to Oscorp."

* * *

**Oh Gwen. Why are you becoming so sassy. Sorry this is kind of a boring first chapter. But it sets up some more story.**


	2. Chapter Two

**Hello everyone. I'm sorry if Steve seems OOC, but he's gotta stoebbing awkward at some point. **

**SoGoesTheWar: I'm honestly lookin forward to this story too haha. **

**MysticRyter: I honestly don't know haha. As for Johnny, yes he will be Chris Evans. **

**LianaDare8: I will be using Chris Evans. It makes the story kind of funny haha. **

**Lena Sauran: She's starting to ask for it, isn't she?**

**torixx3: I'll have to throw Jeremy Renner in there somewhere. **

**The Red Dove: Oh definitely expensive. Gwen might talk it down though. **

**LiebenMadchan: Thank you! Trust me, there'll be a lot of fluff in this story. **

**12141998: Thank you! There are six installments in total for Gwen's story. **

**KookyNorthWesterner: Thanks! As for Peter, you'll have to wait to find out. **

**Itsgoose2u: Thanks! I feel like Daisy too haha. **

**RealMcCoy16: Thank you!**

**Phantom-Demon: Gwen'll try her best haha. **

**Arrows the Wolf: Yeah! Let's root for troublesome Gwen!**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: Hahahhaha the lazy butt super soldier. **

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"So, what are we gonna do? Just walk in?"

Gwen didn't even glance at Peter as she drove down the busy street to get to Oscorp.

"Well, that's all I have in mind," she answered.

Peter scoffed. "I tried that. I ended up pretending I was an intern named Rodrigo Guevara."

"And they believed you?"

"Sí"

Gwen shook her head. "It's Saturday, I'm sure he doesn't have any appointments or anything. And if he does, we'll make one."

"This won't take all day, will it? Aunt May says I have to be home for dinner."

"You make it sound like you're never home."

"I'm generally out studying for my finals."

Gwen couldn't help but wonder of Peter's Aunt May was concerned for her nephew's well being seeing as it had only been two months since his girlfriend had been killed. Gwen couldn't blame her.

"Don't worry, I have dinner plans tonight too. We'll talk to him, get some information and leave."

"What information?"

Gwen shrugged. "What he does, what he plans on doing, etcetera. Basically try to find a reason that Fury would want us to not investigate Oscorp."

"Sounds good to me. Just as long as I get information about my parents."

"Deal."

After another twenty minutes, the two found themselves walking into the Tower. Gwen followed Peter who took her up the escalator and to what seemed to be the desk for Connors.

"Hi," said Gwen to the receptionist, "can we speak with Doctor Connors?"

She shook her head. "He's not in today."

"Where is he then?" asked Peter.

"Probably at his house. Would you like to make an appointment?"

Gwen shook her head. "We'll just come back another time."

"It'd be best if you made an appointment."

"No, it's fine."

Gwen then turned away, pulling Peter with her.

"What the hell?" he asked. "Why didn't we make an appointment!"

"Just come with me," hissed Gwen as she noticed a few people staring at them as Peter had used a loud voice.

"Where are we going?"

"Just come."

The two finally got back in Gwen's Beetle and Peter looked very annoyed. Gwen ignored his glares as she took out her phone that Tony specially designed for her and began typing away.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked, his brow furrowed behind his glasses in confusion.

"Hacking into Oscorp," Gwen answered casually like this was nothing.

"You're - what?"

"Don't worry, I'm just going into the mainframe and finding Connors' address."

"So what, we're just going to show up on his doorstep expecting answers?"

Gwen smiled triumphantly as she found the data she was looking for. "Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do."

Another drive later and Gwen and Peter found themselves in a more suburban location. It was strange to think that Connors was possibly working with AIM yet was living in such a normal area. Gwen couldn't help but think that maybe he hadn't been working with AIM after all. It was possible that Osborn was like a mutual friend that connected the two.

Gwen parked the Beetle in the driveway of Connors' home. It was large for one man to be living in it and Gwen couldn't help but wish it was her house. She shook her head. She was getting distracted to easily.

The two of them walked up to the front door and Peter rang the doorbell. They could hear it ring on the other side of the door. After a moment, the door opened, revealing a man with light blonde hair and small round glasses. He was wearing a lab coat and it was very clear that one of his arms was missing from above the elbow. Gwen didn't stare for long, but couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make him this way.

"Doctor Connors," said Peter a bit awkwardly, "uh - you don't remember me. I uh-"

"You're that intern," said Connors. He sounded British to Gwen which made her want to squeal. She really needed to get rid of her obsession with British accents.

Peter nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"I'm sure you're a very nice young man, but this is a home. I'd ask you to make an appointment in my office."

Connors was just about to shut the door when Peter reached out and stopped him.

"I'm Richard Parker's son."

A look of recognition crossed Connors' face.

"Peter?"

Peter gave a small smile and a nod. Connors then turned to Gwen.

"And who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Gwen, resisting the urge to put out her hand. She felt like she was introducing herself to Edward Scissorhands. "I'm Gwendolyn Rogers, a friend of Peter's. I'm a huge fan of all the things Oscorp does so I force him to take me along."

Peter threw a quick glance at Gwen who was wondering what made her lie so easily.

Connors nodded. "Come in, both of you."

Gwen felt very triumphant as she followed Peter over the threshold. The two of them were led by Connors into his kitchen where he went to a coffee machine.

"Would you two like some?" he asked, being a gracious host to two strangers that showed up at his front door. Okay, so obviously Peter wasn't a stranger, but Gwen felt pretty awkward.

"Yes, please," she replied as Peter shook his head.

"How can I help you two?" asked Connors as he made the coffee.

"I was hoping you could help me," said Peter. "It's - uh - well I wanted to know about my parents."

"I'm afraid I can't help you much, Peter," answered Connors sadly as he poured two cups of coffee. "I don't know why they left or where they were going."

Connors accidentally knocked down one of the cups and Peter quickly caught it with much ease.

"Good reflexes," noted Connors, handing Gwen her cup.

"Thank you," replied Peter.

He passed the cup back to Connors

"Thank you," he said.

"I read your book," stated Peter.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It's something. So you really think its possible, cross-species genetics?"

Gwen felt her breath get caught in her throat as she remembered the Connors folder she had found and how it had talked about cross-species genetics.

"Yes, of course," said Connors. "But for years your father and I were mocked for our theories, not just in the community at large, but at Oscorp as well. They called us mad scientists. And then your father bred the spider and everything changed." Gwen threw Peter a quick glance at this. "The results were beyond encouraging, they were spectacular. We were gonna change the live of millions, including my own. Then it was over. He...he was gone, took his research with him. And then I knew without him I...I...I was angry, so I stayed away from you and your family. And for that I'm truly sorry."

"Say - say it worked," said Peter. "Say you got it to work. Like how much would the foreign species take over? What - what could the side effects be?"

Connors thought for a moment. "It's hard to say, considering no subjects survived. The problem was always..."

"Decay Rate Algorithm?"

"Right."

"Wait," said Gwen with a furrowed brow, "decay what?"

"An equation for cellular regeneration," answered Peter. "Can I - uh-" He pointed to a pad of paper and a pencil.

"Of course," replied Connors.

Peter wrote down some sort of complex equation very quickly and Gwen had no idea what it meant, though some symbols she could understand.

"Extraordinary," observed Connors. "How did you come up with this?"

Peter smiled and pointed to his head.

"Peter, how would you feel about coming to see me at the Tower one day after school? You could come as well Ms. Rogers."

"Yeah," said Gwen and Peter at the same time.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Where did you really get that equation from?" asked Gwen as she followed Peter's directions to drive him home.

"You don't believe I came up with that?" he asked with mock offense.

"You may be a genius, but you're still just a teenager."

"I thought Tony said you're smart."

"Computer smart. I'm good with technology, not science."

"Isn't that technically the same thing?"

Gwen shrugged. "Not necessarily."

Peter sighed. "I found it in my dad's old notes."

"Was your dad up to something."

He shook his head. "I doubt it."

"So you don't know?"

"Well - no."

Gwen sighed as Peter pointed out his house. She pulled up next to the curb and turned to Peter before he got out.

"Okay, here's what we'll do," she said. "I'll make an excuse to leave the Tower on Monday. I'll pick you up after school and we'll go to Oscorp. Sounds good?"

Peter nodded. "Uh - yeah, sounds good."

"Good. Now here's the deal. We speak of this to no one. If Fury finds out what we're doing - well I don't know what he'd do but he may throw us in a well and starve us."

Peter's eyes widened.

"Long story short," continued Gwen, "we keep this a secret until we have enough proof that Connors is up to something. From today he honestly seems harmless, but while we're there on Monday I could try and snoop around. Maybe the company knows what happened to Osborn's body."

* * *

By the time Gwen got home, it was nearly noon. She knew that if Steve had been hungry for lunch, he would've been able to make something small for himself. He wasn't that hopeless. But if he hadn't, he was most likely in their basement where all gym equipment was stored.

It seemed Gwen was right as when she walked through the door, she saw Steve in the kitchen, tape on his hands an drinking a cold bottle of water.

"Hey," he said, closing the bottle.

"Hi," replied Gwen, going over and giving him a kiss.

"You were gone pretty long."

Gwen shrugged, setting her bag down on the counter. "Hank was stubborn."

"What time did Tony and Pepper want us over at again?"

"Around four-thirty." Gwen wrinkled her nose with exaggeration once she noticed how sweaty Steve was. "And that gives you enough time to take a nice shower."

Steve laughed and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a sweet and gentle kiss on the lips.

"If I recall correctly, you haven't had a shower either. Care to join me?"

Gwen patted him on the shoulders. "You're perfectly capable of taking a shower by yourself. You're a big boy."

Steve laughed again and after one more kiss, disappeared into the bathroom leaving Gwen wondering when he stopped being so awkward.

* * *

"So, he still lives?" asked Johann Schmidt as he ventured around the lab he was in, picking up several devices and examining them.

"Yes, and he's with a group called the Avengers," answered MODOK, gliding around a counter to hand Schmidt a folder. "He's also married to a woman named Gwendolyn Powers. You'll find all the information on her that we have in here."

"But I do not vant her. I vant zee Captain."

"We can get to him through her if we-"

"Vat happened to Zola?"

"Once released from American custody, he moved to Russia where he started working on a little project. Last we heard he moved it to Canada. We also have information that leads us to believe he's back in Russia."

"And zee Tesseract?"

"We sent an Asgardian by the name of Amora to search for it. So far she hasn't been successful."

Schmidt stopped his venturing and looked straight at MODOK. "Then vy bring me back when you are no closer to zee gods zan I vas?"

"You're AIM's proper leader. We need you."

"You need power. But first ve must deal vith Captain America."

MODOK nodded. "Zola has some assassins and mercenaries that could be of use."

"Gud. Get me one of zem."

"What about Gwendolyn?"

Schmidt opened the folder in his hands. "Leave her. She iz no use to us."

"But-"

"I said leave her!"

MODOK hesitated. "Yes, sir."

"Gud. Now find me an assassin."

* * *

**I apologize for the terribly written German accent. Just imagine Hugo Weaving talking. It makes everything better.**

**Also, brownie points to all who caught the line from Captain America: The First Avenger that I slipped in here.**


	3. Chapter Three

**Hello everyone. **

**The Red Dove: The line is "Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do." And yes, I am using the newest Spidey film. It's super duper good. **

**JBlove: Yes! And thank you very much!**

**LianaDare8: Thanks! I have a great Steve/Johnny interaction in mind. **

**Itsgoose2u: Thanks! AIM really does suck. Omg I think our fandom broke the Internet haha. **

**RealMcCoy16: Thanks! That question will actually be talked about soon, but I will tell you that yes they will have kids. **

**MysticRyter: The line is "Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do." And as for Winter Soldier *cough* next installment *cough***

**Phantom-Demon: Thank you for saying that. I was a bit worried but even I knoartist Steve would have to stop being awkward. I bet you and your husband are adorable :)**

**Arrows the Wolf: I know right? At least I'm not the only one.**

**Lena Sauran: Haha webs. That made me laugh. **

**dwatlaskrhtcm: Thank you very much!**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: SO PROUD. I TOLD MYSELF I WOULDN'T CRY. **

* * *

**Chapter Three**

At about four thirty, Gwen and Steve got in the Beetle and drove not to the Tower, but to the recently built Avengers Mansion or as Tony like to call it, Stark Mansion. At first the idea was to build this mansion in Manhattan, but Tony scraped the idea and it was built in the most secluded place in New York. The only way to drive there was to take a secret, underground tunnel that was built for the purpose of hiding the mansion. It also served as a bit of another base for SHIELD.

There was only one lab and that was all Tony's. Other than that, the place was meant to be lived in. It was five stories high and had dozens of huge bedrooms where people could stay. Tony and Pepper really had the place to themselves seeing as Bruce and Betty had moved into the penthouse of the Tower, Gwen and Steve had their own home, Hank and Janet were on the West Coast and all of the others lived in the Tower, though last Gwen heard, Darcy and Jane were considering moving into the mansion.

After finishing going through the tunnel, the Beetle finally pulled up in front of the mansion. The driveway was arched and the point of it was in front of the the entrance. Steve parked the car and the two of them got out.

JARVIS opened the door after Gwen rang the bell. She had only been to the mansion about but knew that despite the older feel of the mansion, it was essentially run by technology. It cooked the food, cleaned the building and did all trivial tasks that Steve thought Tony should be doing. It was like having computer maids.

"Do you need help getting to the dining room," asked JARVIS.

"No," answered Gwen, "I remember."

The wooden floors creaked slightly under each footstep from Gwen and Steve. They walked down a hall which lead into a large living room that was incredibly cozy. The center went down into the ground and held comfy couches and recliners. A huge flatscreen television sat above the lit fireplace and was currently off. Gwen and Steve went to a door on the left which lead to a staircase. They only needed to go up one floor so they didn't bother with the elevator. After walking down another hall, the couple could already smell the food being cooked. It wasn't long before they entered the marvelous dining room.

In the center was a wooden table that was could be extended to an incredibly long length and could seat at least twenty people. However, it was compacted at the moment for four people. A crystal chandelier hung above the table and was lit up, illuminating the room. A set of windows on the opposite side of the room showed the forest of trees surrounding the place and the slowly descending sun.

At the table was Pepper who was wearing a light blue sleeveless dress and was typing away at her phone. At the sound of Gwen and Steve's arrival, she looked up with a smile on her face.

"Hey, guys!" she exclaimed, getting up.

Pepper's orange hair was loose down her back. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness as she came over to bug each person. Something seemed different about her though, but Gwen couldn't place it.

"Sit down," ordered the CEO, "Tony'll be here soon. He's making sure Dummy doesn't burn the place down."

"Dummy?" asked Gwen as she and Steve took the two seats opposite Pepper.

"Well, technically Dummy-II. Tony's not very good with names."

Gwen nodded. "So how are you doing?"

"Great, actually. I've got all of these interviews lined up for an assistant."

"Tony had mentioned that. He said you were even looking for two assistants."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "He wants me to, but I don't think I need two."

"Why does he want you to have two?"

"Because-"

"Wow, I didn't know you guys were here yet," came Tony's voice from the door. He walked inside and was followed by some sort of catering robot with two very long arms coming out of either side that held a large tray with four plates of food on.

"Long time no see," replied Gwen.

Pepper got up to help put the plates down, but Tony pushed her back into her seat.

"Let's see if D2 can handle it," he said.

Gwen watched as "D2" managed to successfully place each plate down without breaking them.

"Good," continued Tony, "now the drinks."

It seemed D2 didn't quite know what do with the drinks, so it picked one up and threw it at the wall.

"I'll work on that," said Tony as the four of them stared at the broken glass.

"And you'll clean it up," said Pepper as she removed the other glasses herself. "You can go now."

The robot made a happy beeping noise as it turned around and left the room, though it missed the door the first time and hit the wall.

"Well," said Pepper, "dig in."

Gwen looked down at her plate and saw what seemed to be some kind of foreign dish. Even though she didn't know what it was, she ate it anyhow.

"So, Steve," said Pepper, "Gwendolyn had told me the other day that you're quite the artist."

Gwen could see Steve turn slightly pink at the mention of his drawing ability. She had discovered it a week prior when she woke up in the middle of the night to find him in the kitchen sketching a picture of a young man who Steve had said he had been friends with. It had been so perfectly detailed and when Steve wasn't looking, she rifled through his other sketches to see how good he was. And she found herself incredibly flattered to find many pictures of her.

"I guess," he answered. "Before the war I went to an art school."

"We could really use some nice art around here," continued Pepper. "Especially because we are not hanging anymore Iron Man pictures around here."

"It's your loss," argued Tony.

"So, what were you saying before Tony got here?" Gwen asked Pepper.

Pepper smiled widely as she looked up at her guests. "We have big news."

"Is now really the time?" asked Tony.

"I'm pregnant!" exclaimed Pepper, ignoring Tony completely.

Gwen's jaw dropped and she heard Steve choke on his food for a second.

"Wow," replied Gwen, "that's a surprise. Congratulations!"

"Thank you," said Pepper, still smiling. "Tony may not sound excited but he actually is."

"How would you know?" muttered Tony.

"Because you've already designated a room for the baby."

Tony scowled.

"That's really great guys," added Gwen while Steve nodded. "It explains the two assistant thing."

"I think she could use the extra help," said Tony.

"Does anyone else know?" asked Steve.

The Starks shook their heads.

"Only you two," stated Pepper.

Gwen felt honored that she and Steve were the first to know that the Starks were expecting a child.

"Are you two planning on having kids?" asked Pepper.

Gwen raised her eyebrows and looked at Steve the same time he looked at her. She could see his answer in his eyes. Yes. However, Gwen wasn't entirely sure what we answer was.

"We - uh - we've never talked about it," answered Gwen, turning back to her food. She could see a slight look of disappointment cross Steve's face and felt a bit guilty for not giving him a chance to speak. However, she knew what they'd be talking about when they got home.

"You'd make great parents," commented Pepper.

"Thanks," answered Gwen and Steve at the same time.

Pepper was smiling at the two of them, her happiness almost contagious.

"Hey Tony," said Gwen, "are you gonna tell me what that whole thing with what's-his-face was?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "His name is Charles Xavier."

"And what does he want?"

"To find people like him."

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "People like him? You said I'm like him, right? What does that mean?"

"It means you're what he calls - what was it? - oh yeah, a mutant."

"Well that's a nice name."

Tony raised his arms in defense. "I didn't come up with it. Y'see, that shield around your brain is unexplainable. We don't know where it came from. Banner and I have been working since we found out and there's no reasonable explanation. Then Xavier shows up. He wants to find people like you and him, with mutations. He believes the world is full of them, but first he needs to let them know it's safe."

"Safe?" asked Steve.

"He says there are some mutants that are hiding because they're afraid to show themselves or something. But with some help, Xavier thinks he can lure them out and help them."

"So what does he want me for exactly?" asked Gwen suspiciously. She had every right to be suspicious. The only other times people have wanted her for what she could do was for experiments and evil schemes.

Tony shrugged. "He wants you to talk with other mutants or something like that. I think you're perfect for the job. Johnson would be considered a mutant too seeing as we can't figure out why she can do what she does. But you're less...explosive when it comes to conversations."

"What d'you mean by that?"

"Come on, you know what Johnson's like. If you mention anything related to her favorite tv shows, she goes off on a rant. You, on the others hand, are easy to talk to and pleasant."

"So do get to meet him?"

"Suppose so. I'll have to talk to him, set something up. Speaking of setting something up-"

"God Tony, what did we talk about this morning?"

"What's wrong?" asked Steve, sensing the annoyance in his wife's voice.

"Tony wants me to have a huge birthday party," answered Gwen, picking at her food like a stubborn child. She figured it was good practice for Tony.

Gwen looked up at Steve and it seemed that although he wanted to say something, he didn't.

"Steve, what are you thinking?" she asked slowly.

"Nothing."

"You could at least lie," muttered Tony which made Pepper sigh.

Gwen looked around at the three people around her and gasped loudly.

"You're all in on this, aren't you!"

"Jeez, you make it sound like we murdered someone together," said Tony.

Pepper gave a small smile. "We just want to give you something nice."

"Please, I don't want a birthday party."

"You're getting one," argued Tony.

"But-"

"No buts! We want to do this, even your dear husband. I promise I'll be the center of attention like always."

"Because that makes me feel so much better."

"Listen, Gwenie, it won't be so bad. Only people you want to be there will be. Trust me, you're gonna like what we're planning."

"I'm not getting a choice, am I?"

"Honestly my dear, I thought you'd have figured that out by now."

* * *

Meanwhile at the Parker household, Peter heard his name being called by Aunt May. He quickly finished up what he was doing and headed downstairs only to find that Aunt May was not alone in the kitchen.

"Mary-Jane?" asked Peter as he recognized his redheaded neighbor.

Aunt May and MJ were both putting plates down at the table. The ginger looked up at Peter, her short bangs just coming down to her eyebrows. She smiled at him, showing off a set of pearly white teeth. She was wearing a gold colored blouse and black jeans.

"Didn't I tell you to call me MJ?" she asked.

"Uh - yeah - uh, Aunt May? Can I talk to you?"

Peter led his aunt into the hall.

"What is she doing here?" he asked.

"You don't like her?" asked Aunt May.

"It's not - what? Are you trying to set me up with her?"

"No! Her mother's out of town, her sister's in college and her dad is God knows where so she's alone for the night."

"What, you just went over there?"

"No, we happened to be outside at the same time. We talked and I invited her over and right now you're going to be a good host and be nice to her, okay? I'm not setting you up with her. She's a good girl that's going through a lot right now. Besides, you've been spending so much time in your room. You could use a friend."

Before Peter could protest and list some people he considered friends to prove her wrong, Aunt May went back into the kitchen.

"Alright, let's eat!" she exclaimed.

She sat down at the table with MJ and Peter slowly dragged his feet into the room before sitting down as well.

"So, are you studying for you finals?" Aunt May asked MJ.

"Oh, definitely," answered the redhead. "I mean, I already know I'm going to Empire State University-"

"Empire State University?" repeated Peter. "That's - uh - that's where I'm going."

Embarrassed of his interruption, Peter looked down at his plate while MJ smiled.

"Peter's top of the class," bragged Aunt May.

"Oh really," answered MJ with a quirked eyebrow. "That's impressive."

Peter shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"So what are you gonna go to school for?"

"Photography. I like to - uh - take pictures."

MJ nodded. "I've seen you walk around with that camera at school."

"Yeah, I'm saving up some money to buy a better one."

"I bet you'll be a great photographer."

Peter looked up into MJ's stunning green eyes and smiled.

"Uh, thanks," he replied. "What are you gonna do?"

"Oh, I'm gonna be a professional model and actress."

"Oh, wow!" exclaimed Aunt May very suddenly. "That's very - uh, ambitious!"

"At least you didn't say I couldn't do it."

Peter furrowed his brow. "Who told you that?"

"Everyone, basically."

"I'm sure you could do anything you want to. Trust me."

MJ smiled at Peter this time. He was laughing on the inside at the fact she she didn't know Spider-Man had just told her that.

* * *

After dinner, Peter and Aunt May put the dishes in the sink. They refused to let MJ help as she was a guest.

"It was very good, Mrs. Parker," said MJ. "However, I should get home and finish up an assignment Mr. Bergman gave us."

Peter contemplated what to do. "Would you like me to - uh - walk you home?"

"I live next door, Peter. I think I can make it there on my own."

MJ smiled at the slight flush that had creeped up onto Peter's face as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"But you're still welcome to walk me out," she added.

Peter looked up and smiled. "Uh, sure."

Peter led MJ to the front door and held it open for her. He had seen Steve do this for Gwen all of the time and if there was anyone to copy with this kind of thing, it was Steve.

"Are you sure you won't be too lonely?" asked Peter as they walked down the steps.

"No, I should be fine," answered MJ. "If I do I suppose I could call Harry."

"You two still dating?"

MJ sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "You guess.

The two stopped at the bottom of the steps that led to MJ's front door.

"Well," said MJ, "he's been going downhill ever since his father died."

Peter tensed at the mention of Norman Osborn. "I guess you can't blame him."

"But the thing is, Harry never really liked his father. The two never got along. I think something's wrong with Harry. But he won't talk to me."

Peter honestly felt like he was the last person she should be telling this too. He was silently praying she'd decide to talk to her mother instead.

"I'm sorry," apologized MJ, "you probably don't care."

"No, no its fine. I know what it's like to lose someone. Well, in a different sense of course."

MJ looked up at him and frowned. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Here I am complaining about my boyfriend while you - well, y'know. I'm sorry."

Peter gave a small smile. "It's fine, MJ."

MJ smiled back and walked up the steps. She then turned back to Peter.

"It was nice talking to you Peter," she said.

Peter nodded. "Uh - nice talking to you, too."

MJ smiled widely and went inside her home, leaving Peter still at the bottom of the steps. He then traveled back into his own home where Aunt May was waiting for him.

"Did you ask her out?" she asked excitedly.

Instead of answering, Peter just rolled his eyes and went upstairs.


	4. Chapter Four

**After days of no motivation to do anything out of depression from knowing that school starts soon, I FINALLY got this done. Sorry it's just sort of a fluffy filler. Next chapter will continue with plot.**

**Phantom-Demon: Haha I could see that too. That would be terrifying to see your child flying around. **

**The Red Dove: Thank you! As for Daisy, she's just an overly excite fangirl haha. **

**Arrows the Wolf: I know right? That just totally seems her. **

** LianaDare8: I HATED the way she was portrayed by what's her face in those other Spidey films. One of the main reasons I like her though is because I have red hair as well haha. **

**Itsgoose2u: The best part is I already know what their chilwoiuld be like and I ship them with someone already haha. Mabye Aunt May can ship them too. I swear my computer is broken from the fandom haha. **

**RealMcCoy16: Thank you! :)**

**MysticRyter: I honestly can't wait for Bucky though. I'm killing myself here. I'll have to read your story! I just don't have a lot of time to do anything except doing so writing and blogging so I promise that when I do get a chance I will read it. **

**morbidly-funny: oh no! Your review isn't all there!**

**Liliesshadow: Thank you! I know it sounds stupid but I was worried about writing her mainly because she's not one of the most main characters so I was just worried. **

**12141998: Thank you!**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: OH MY GOD YOU ARE JUST TOO FUNNY MY FRIEND. SERIOUSLY. You don't fail to make me smile. **

* * *

**Chapter Four**

When Gwen and Steve got home after dinner, Gwen was waiting for her husband to mention kids. She was dying for the conversation just to happen as she was dreading letting him down.

It was only six o'clock by the time they got home and Gwen threw her bag on the counter. Steve took off his jacket and placed it on the back of a chair at the kitchen table.

"I can't believe Pepper's pregnant," said Gwen in hopes of initiating the conversation.

"Yeah," agreed Steve, walking towards the bedroom. "I couldn't believe that even Howard had a son."

Gwen slowly followed Steve in there and found him coming out of the bathroom.

"You wanna talk, don't you?" she asked him, sitting down on the bed.

Steve sat down next to her. "Do you want kids?"

Gwen sighed. "In the future, yes. I do. As of right now, no."

"How far in the future?"

Gwen shrugged. "Once we know the world is safe."

The was silence as Steve looked at his shoes for a moment before speaking.

"I never though I'd have kids until I met you," he muttered with a bit of pink in his cheeks.

Way to break my heart, Steve, Gwen thought bitterly.

"What about with Peggy?" she asked without thinking.

Steve shrugged. "I was still in shock that she didn't reject me." He looked up at Gwen now, his eyes like a puppy. "Now that I'm married to you, I could actually see it happening. Before the serum I never thought about because I didn't think I'd ever find a woman and because I was worried those kids would end up with as many difficulties as me."

"They can't now, can they?" asked Gwen.

"I don't think so, but I'm not sure."

There was a bit of silence before Gwen spoke again.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?"

"For crushing your dreams."

Steve laughed loudly and put his arms around her. He nestled his face in her neck and kissed her skin.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Gwen. It's fine."

Gwen signed contently against Steve's chest. These moments were the ones she loved the most. Not the conversation of course, but when she could simply be in Steve's arms without a massive amount of worries. Sure, she still had them. She was worried about what her and Peter would discover at Oscorp on Monday, she was worried about what this Xavier guy was going to have her do, she was worried about being thrown a big party and she was worried that Tony was going to stress out Pepper. But this had to be far less worries than what she had in the past.

Sometimes it was strange when she thought back to when she was just working for Tony and her biggest fear was that she'd screw something up and Obadiah would yell, "I told you so!" in Tony's face. She had wanted to prove to Obadiah that Tony hadn't hired her because she was a young woman, but because she could actually do her job.

But now as she was wrapped in Steve's warm embrace, all worries melted away. Gwen doubted he knew what effect he had on her.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" he mumbled softly.

Gwen smiled as a dozen butterflies fluttered around in her stomach. It was amazing how he still had the ability to do that.

"Only a dozen times," she replied.

Steve leaned back, a smile on his face. He moved forward and kissed her gently. Gwen reacted immediately and kissed him back with a bit more force.

"So about your birthday-"

"God, not you, too!"

Steve sighed. "I just wanted to tell you that I think it would be best if you just went along with a party."

"Why?"

"Because you know that Tony and Pepper are going to throw one no matter what and if you don't help at all you'll complain that the party isn't anything you wanted it to be."

Gwen sighed. "That's true."

"Besides, I want you to have a perfect party because I want everything to be perfect for you."

Gwen tried to suppress her smile but failed. Steve smiled back and the couple kissed again.

For Gwen, the perfect birthday would just be spent with Steve. The two could go to a movie or sit at home watching their favorite films on Blu-ray. She could be cuddled up next to Steve on the couch and she wouldn't have to be the center of attention in a large social gathering. She wouldn't have to be told "Happy Birthday," dozens of times and thank every single person that said it. She wouldn't have to stand there awkwardly as everyone sang her happy birthday. She wouldn't have to deal with a drunk Tony. _That_ would be perfect.

However, Gwen knew she wasn't going to get that and she knew Steve was right. If she just went along with it and stopped wasting time complaining at least she could help them make it the way she wanted it to be. Besides, this could end up being the last birthday she'd ever have. No one knew what was going to happen in the future.

And so Gwen curled up to Steve that night and fell asleep while thinking of ideas that would make a nice party for her.

* * *

The surface of Titan was deserted. It always was. It was a place where no one lived and no one could live. Under the surface though, was a different story. A whole colony lived underneath the wasteland on top. They were still rebuilding after the attack from Thanos the Mad Titan many years ago, but their numbers had grown from their terrible losses. The capitol city stood tall in the center of the colony, a palace in the center of that. It rose higher than any other building and shined in the artificial sunlight.

On the main road that went throughout the city was two horses. On a chestnut colored one that was named Sparta, two people sat upon it. The young maiden with golden hair had her arms wrapped around the middle of the raven haired man who was smiling to himself. Granted he just liked horses, but having Sigyn sitting on it behind him, holding onto him, was enough to make his heart burst.

The left side of Sigyn's golden locks was pulled back by a green flower that Loki had given her. Her deep blue eyes were closed as se rested the right side of her face against the fabric of Loki's green shirt. Her gown was, of course, green. She didn't expect to wear any other color now that she was being courted by the younger prince of Asgard.

Three weeks after arriving on Titan, Loki had traveled to Svartalfaheim in order to ask Sigyn's dwarf father, Iwaldi, for permission to court her. He had agreed immediately, immensely thrilled that his daughter was to not only be a princess of Vanaheim, but a princess of Asgard as well.

Loki frowned as he realized Sigyn would never be a Queen just as he would never be a King. Yes, she would fit in perfectly in the royal Asgardian court, Sigyn was definitely one for gossip, but she would always be a princess. Naturally, Loki wanted her to have a higher title simply because he wanted the best for her. She was, after all, the person who made him stop thinking horrible thoughts and prevented him from doing harm to others and even himself. That had been proven during their time away from Asgard.

Loki felt Sigyn's grip on him tighten as the horse picked up speed. Beside them was the other horse which was white and was named Willow. Her rider was none other than Eros. His reddish brown hair was tousled from riding and all of the previous injuries he had from helping fight of an attack from the Chitauri had vanished thanks to Sigyn. She had become a saint on the planet due to her healing abilities and helped the hundreds that lived there. But now, Eros was leading them to the outskirts outside the capital city and to the Bifrost site.

The three people and two horses approached a large iron gate that was painted silver, much like a lot of the city just like Asgard was gold. The horses stopped and the gate opened automatically. After there was enough room, they continue out. Now if they looked back, only the tip of the palace could be seen as the rest of the city was covered by the large brick fence that surrounded it and the artificial trees that swayed in the fake breeze.

After the horses trotted for a few more minutes, the three people came upon the circle that would take Loki and Sigyn back to Asgard. Loki was the first to get off of Sparta and he then helped Sigyn down. Eros got off of Willow and strode over to the couple with less arrogance than he would have at a point in the past.

"We are very thankful for what you have done for us, Lady Sigyn," said Eros. "I do hope that if we need help in the future, we can count on you."

"Of course," she answered happily. "It's lovely here."

Eros then took her right hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. Sigyn, being used to this action, didn't think twice about it. However, Loki's face darkened and his arm slithered around her waist without her noticing and he pulled her closer.

"Yes," Loki nearly hissed, "it truly is lovely here."

Eros looked up a Loki with a knowing smile on his face.

"Do not fret, trickster," ordered the Eternal, "I do not wish to steal your beautiful Vanir. Besides, I have my eyes set on another."

Sigyn's face lit up at the potential gossip in front of her. "Who?"

Eros smiled down at her. "I shall never tell."

Sigyn frowned in the way no one expected her to. She then took on a look of anger as Eros went over to the Bifrost site. No one told Sigyn no.

"Do behave, dear," Loki muttered, a smirk on his face.

"Why would he tell us that and then just leave it!" she whispered back.

"To get this reaction out of you."

Sigyn sighed and Loki took her hand. The two of them walked to the circle while Eros stood outside it. He nodded at Loki who politely nodded back. Eros laughed at the glare Sigyn sent him and the Bifrost opened. Loki and Sigyn felt the familiar tug of the Bifrost as they lifted from the ground and shot through the universe.

The next thing they knew, they were standing in Heimdall's observatory. Said man was standing in the center, taking out his sword. The dome slowed down and eventually stopped its spinning and the flashing lights disappeared.

"Welcome back Prince Loki, Lady Sigyn," Heimdall greeted. Despite his trademark poker face, Loki could still see the dislike Heimdall had for him.

"Hello, Gatekeeper," replied Sigyn politely.

Loki simply nodded and tugged on the Vanir's hand to get her to follow him. They walked outside the observatory, Heimdall taking his place at the entrance. A black horse was waiting on the bridge and Loki helped Sigyn onto him. Loki then got on the horse himself and they took off for the palace of Asgard.

Neither one spoke until they got to the stables. Loki once again helped Sigyn down and the horse wandered off on his own.

"I think his eyes are on Sif," said Sigyn as she and Loki walked hand and hand towards Odin's hall.

Loki scoffed. "Have you ever seen them two together?"

"No, but they would fit each other."

"What makes you say that?"

"My mother is the goddess of love, Loki. I may have picked up a few things from her."

"Oh, really?"

Loki stopped them in the middle of the corridor and tipped Sigyn's face up with one finger under her chin. He then, very softly, placed his lips on hers. It was one of those kisses that made Sigyn want to squirm for he acted like she was made of glass and could potentially break if he wasn't careful. It was something she wished more people could see as many still regarded him as a monster despite the good deeds he had done since then. Sigyn was one of the few that actually saw the good side of Loki come out.

"What do you think of us?" he asked, his voice just barely a whisper.

"I think that we fit with each other," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady although her heart was pounding in her chest. "And I know that we love each other."

Loki's face remained expressionless like always, but in his eyes Sigyn could see that he agreed. Even if he didn't say it, he did love her and she loved him. Sigyn always looked past his occasional temper tantrums that he would throw like a little child and didn't mind when he stalked off after arguing with her. She was always there when he came back with tears, apologizing profusely and asking what he could do to make up for acting like he did.

Loki leaned down and kissed her again, this time more hungrily, the type of kiss that he normally gave her. He was cold, as always, but Sigyn didn't mind that either. She was always rather warm anyway.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them and Sigyn could see that Loki looked rather angry for being stopped. However, he controlled himself when the couple saw who it was. At the end of the corridor stood Sigyn's mother, Queen Freyja of Vanaheim.

Freyja was a beautiful woman and it was obvious that Sigyn looked a lot like her. They both had the same golden hair, same blue eyes, same facial structure. However, while Freyja stood tall and proud with a womanly body, Sigyn was much more like a stick and much shorter as well with a natural glint of mischief in her eyes.

Loki couldn't help but think that this situation looked rather like one that would be seen on Midgard in which the mother finds her daughter making out with a rebellious boyfriend that she didn't approve of. At least it had been her instead of Thor who would act as though he had never seen Loki kiss someone before and slap him on the back before winking at Sigyn and walking away. That was far more annoying.

"I shall see you later, Loki," said Sigyn at last, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen on the three.

"You shall, my dearest," answered Loki, lifting her left hand and kissing the knuckles, his other hand behind his back.

Sigyn then gave him one last smile when he let go of her and walked towards her mother who nodded politely at Loki. The two Vanir then walked down the corridor towards Folkvang while Loki took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. If only Sigyn knew what she did to him.

* * *

**I'm sorry if Loki seems OOC. This is just my interpretation of him being in love with someone. I also wanted to show the parallel with the two relationships shown in this chapter. ALSO I have no idea what Titan actually looks like so that was all my imagination.**


	5. Chapter Five

**Okay so I picked out a song for each story to serve as a theme song basically. I was bored and decided to do that. You can find them on my profile if you're interested.**

**The Red Dove: Thank you! And also thank you for your input with that. Normally I don't get constructive criticism. It's more like people telling me what I should so with my story. So thank you :D**

**Lena Sauran: Haha I know right? I love adorable Loki. **

**LianaDare8: GINGERS UNITE. That's seriouslyawesome though. I think our species might be making a comeback. **

**Phantom-Demon: I'm glad it makes you smile. I'm totally numb to everything I write haha. ****  
**

**Itsgoose2u: Thank you! I'm really glad you said that. I know some people hate when Loki isn't angsty and angry and stuff. I just want him to be happy. **

**Arrows the Wolf: It does! For some reason it sort of reminded me of the Capitol. **

**MysicRyter: I sure hope it's a good giggling haha. **

**snowyclara: Fluff is best when it's everywhere haha. Oh my goodness I love it. Fury as a father figure; PERFECT. I could see like all of the childern clinging to his legs like cats. Gwen'a birthday will certainly be awesome. **

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: Hahaha I know right? I love your reviews though seriously. Oh my gosh it's like their kids are an inside joke or something haha. So I just got the goofy goober song stuck in my head from that. Thank you. **

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Monday came around fast and Gwen was anxious for Peter to get out of school so they could go to Oscorp. However, she was worried that she wouldn't have a proper excuse in order to leave the Tower or that she wouldn't be able to leave without being noticed. However, it seemed luck was in her favor as when they arrived, it turned out Darcy, Jane and Daisy were all moving into the Avengers Mansion, Jane more reluctantly as she was worried that she wouldn't be at the Tower if Thor decided to visit. And according to them, Tony and Pepper had announced the pregnancy to everyone and Daisy and Darcy were probably the most excited about a little Stark running around.

What helped with Gwen's plan was that Darcy had been hiding in parking garage, waiting for the right moment to practically pounce on Steve and get him to help. Apparently they forced Luke to help as well seeing as the two of them were the strongest in the Tower.

After three, Gwen managed to slip out of the Tower and drive to Midtown High School. Waiting on the street was Peter, his glasses upon his nose and a backpack slung over over his shoulder. He was talking with a boy his age before spotting Gwen.

"See you later, Flash!" she heard him call as he opened the door and got in.

"Ready for Oscorp?" asked Gwen as she put the car in drive.

"Yep."

"I'm gonna warn you though that I'm gonna do some investigating. If you could keep Connors' attention, that's be great."

"I'm sure I can help with that."

* * *

Within no time the two arrived at Oscorp and were allowed up to Connors' lab, said man waiting for them.

As they walked through the floor, both Peter and Gwen spied an interesting piece of equipment sitting off to the side.

"I remember that," blurted Peter, "I've seen that before."

"The Ganali Device," said Connors.

"Yeah, I remember a picture of that in my dad's office."

"The idea was so simple, you load it with an antigen, it creates a cloud which can be dispersed over a neighborhood, even an entire city. Theoretically you could cure Polio in an afternoon."

"It's incredible."

"But couldn't it potentially be used as a weapon?" asked Gwen.

Connors nodded. "Others disagreed with us. You know, what if the device were loaded with a toxin? What if you wanted to opt out? You can't run away from a cloud after all, so here it lies, gathering dust."

Both Peter and Connors moved forward. The whole idea of the device seemed dangerous, so once Gwen knew Connors wasn't paying attention to her, she slipped out her phone and snapped a quick picture. It was really just for evidence so that if she and Peter finally found something out about Oscorp that they could bring to Fury, she'd be able to explain this better.

"What you see here is a computer model of lizard," said Connors, making Gwen put away her phone and walk up to the screen the two males were looking at. "Many of these wonderful creatures are so brilliantly adaptive that they can regenerate entire limbs at will. You can imagine my envy. We're trying to harness this capability in transferring into our host subject, Freddie, the three legged mouse. Enter the algorithm now.

Gwen watched Peter enter the Decay Rate Algorithm into the nearby computer.

"Okay, check," said Peter. "See what I'm trying to do?"

"Preempt the protein," answered Connors.

"Preempt the immune response."

Gwen had no idea what they were talking about and figured this would be a good time to do some snooping around as long as she wasn't caught. Peter was like Tony, Bruce and Hank when he did science and completely forgot what was going on around him. Connors seemed very caught up in what they were doing and didn't notice Gwen slowly walking by the many counters around them, eyeing the contents on them.

She could hear a female robotic voice telling Peter and Connors what was happening with the mouse. However, she wasn't paying attention and instead carefully opened a manila folder, making sure no one was looking at her. Inside where equations and algorithms and numbers that she didn't know existed. She shifted the papers in it and saw something about a serum. What caught her eye about it though was that it was a report about this serum. And it was done by Norman Osborn.

"Extraordinary."

Connors' voice made Gwen quickly close the folder and silently hurry to stand by the other two.

"And thank you," added Connors to Peter who looked like a five year old who just successfully built a Lego tower.

Connors then moved to show Peter two mice. Gwen felt bad for them as they were indeed missing a leg each.

"Meet Fred and Wilma, our three legged mice," said Connors.

He then picked one up with his one hand and gave it to Peter.

Hey, buddy," said Peter, "I got you."

Okay, careful," said Connors, holding up a syringe, "wouldn't want to inject you by mistake. Human trials aren't until next week.

He smiled kindly at Peter who held the mouse as Connors injected the serum from the syringe into the animal.

"There," said Connors as he finished.

"He doesn't seem that bad," stated Peter as they got into Gwen's Beetle.

"I know," agreed the blonde. "It's weird. I honestly think he has nothing to do with Osborn. However, I did find a report done by him in that lab."

Peter looked over at Gwen with a furrowed brow.

"When was this?"

"When you two were doing science, of course."

"Are we still keeping this all secret?"

Gwen nodded. "Yes, we are. Connors may not have anything to do with Osborn, but the company could. For all we know they could be working with AIM and it's more than likely they stole his body from the morgue."

"Or he's a zombie and he's looking for brains." Peter then proceeded to out his arms out and groaned like the walking dead.

"Whatever makes you happy, Spidey."

* * *

Gwen dropped Peter off at his house after their visit to Oscorp and then headed off towards Avengers Mansion as this would give her an excuse to have left the Tower. Thankfully the Oscorp visit only lasted about forty minutes.

Gwen pulled the car up in front of the Mansion and got out. She was pleased to see that either Daisy, Darcy and Jane had already moved their things into the mansion or they were still packing everything up and moving it. JARVIS opened the door for her and she walked inside.

"Mrs. Stark is in the kitchen, Agent Rogers," informed the AI.

"Thanks JARVIS," replied Gwen.

She went in the direction of the kitchen, her footsteps loud on the floor. The double doors to the room were open and Gwen found Pepper sitting at the small circular table in the center. The room wasn't as grand as the dining room as the floor was a lighter hardwood and the walls were a tan paint and there were appliances everywhere with a window above the sink, but it was a nice place to have a small meal or snack.

Pepper was watching the flatscreen television which hung on the wall she was facing. Tony had been the one to insist there was one in the kitchen which wasn't a big surprise. It was playing a local news channel and the anchorman was talking about a man that was running around Hell's Kitchen at night in a red suit. It looked like they were assuming he was with the Avengers while Gwen had no idea who this person was.

"Hey Pepper," greeted Gwen as she strode into the room.

Pepper looked up from the yogurt she was eating. "Oh, Gwendolyn, hello!"

Gwen sat down at the side of the table that was to Pepper's right and leaned forward with her arms on the table.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" asked the CEO.

Gwen shook her head. "I actually came by to see if there was something I could do for you at all."

Pepper smiled and ate a spoonful of her yogurt. "I'm fine, but thank you."

"How're the interviews for getting an assistant going?"

"Great, actually I-"

"Mrs. Stark?"

Both Gwen and Pepper picked their heads up to look at the source of the new voice who was standing at the door. It was a young woman who couldn't have been more than twenty. Her red curls went down just past her shoulders and her eyes were a forest green. If she was any paler she'd probably be albino, something Gwen suffered from as well. She was wearing a black skirt that showed off curves and a white blouse tucked into that. Black flats were on her feet and Gwen knew it was probably because she was tall and being tall around someone like Tony could make one feel like a giant.

"Yes, Amanda?" asked Pepper.

"William Ryder from Detroit Steel called and said he would like to cancel your video conference with him today."

"Oh, that stinks. Did you reschedule?"

"He says he's busy for the next three weeks. I used all of the techniques you told me, but he refused."

Pepper sighed. "Thank you, Amanda. William's tough to work with."

Amanda nodded. "Will that be all, Mrs. Stark?"

Pepper looked from the redhead to Gwen and then back again.

"Actually, no. Amanda, this is Gwendolyn Rogers, former head of security systems at Stark Industries, now agent for SHIELD. Gwendolyn, this is Amanda Bartels, my new executive assistant."

Gwen got up and met the young woman half way and shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you," said Gwen.

"It's nice to meet you, too. Mr. Stark talked about you for a good twenty minutes."

Gwen rolled her eyes despite feeling flattered. "I can only hope he said good things."

"Oh, he did. Trust me."

Gwen smiled again. "So where are you from?"

"Wisconsin, I actually grew up next to Daisy Johnson."

"Really? Did she recommend you?"

"Sort of, I guess."

"And I'm glad she did," added Pepper.

"I get a strange enjoyment out of organizing things," said Amanda a bit shyly.

"Are you attending college at all?" asked Gwen out of curiosity.

"Yes, I'm actually taking it online which allowed me to move here as do this. It was either this or work at the company my dad does and I really didn't want to do that to be honest."

"What company does he work at?"

"Plastics Engineering."

Gwen's jaw dropped. "No way! My dad worked at the Florida branch as a computer programmer."

Amanda smiled, most likely happy that the conversation was actually going somewhere.

"That's what my dad does!" she exclaimed. "I wonder if they know each other."

"I don't know, my dad's been dead for a few years."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. They might've known each other though."

Amanda opened her mouth to say something, but a ringing stopped her. Gwen realized she had been holding a cell phone in her hand and it was now yelling at her to pick up in the form of the Star Wars theme.

"I'm sorry," she said with an apologetic look on her face, "I have to take this."

"That's fine. It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you, too."

With one last polite smile, Amanda left the room.

"Another redhead?" asked Gwen with a smile as she sat back down at the table.

Pepper sighed. "Natasha doesn't really count."

Gwen laughed. "Well, she seems nice. Is she living here then?"

"Yeah, Tony's already nicknamed her Ginger."

"He really loves nicknames, doesn't he?"

Pepper nodded with a sigh.

"Well, let's hope she can stand Tony."

"Oh, she can. He was working on his cars last night and she actually put on music for him. His kind of music."

"She didn't turn it down?"

"Nope, and she doesn't hand him things either. She's a fast learner."

"Well, then Daisy did a good thing for you then. Does she know about all of us?"

Pepper nodded. "I talked to Phil about it and he gave her files to look at so she'd know everything. But she's basically sworn to secrecy."

"Let's hope she stays quiet then."

* * *

After her visit to the Mansion, Gwen returned to the Tower and snuck into her office without anyone seeing her. Only a few minutes after she sat down and got situated did Steve walk in with a loud sigh.

"Next time Darcy asks me to do something, I'm saying no, no matter how much she begs."

Gwen smiled at her husband as he plopped down on the couch in her office and laid down. She then got up and kneeled down on the ground next to him, intertwining one hand with one of his.

"I'm assuming they made you and Luke do everything?" she asked.

"Yep," he replied, closing his eyes, "thankfully they didn't need me for getting to and into the Mansion."

"I promise that if Darcy does ask for help again I'll make up an excuse and drag you away."

Steve opened his eyes and smiled at his wife. "I don't think you need to make up an excuse. You can just drag me away."

"And listen to Darcy and Daisy giggling all day? No thanks."

Steve laughed.

"By the way," added Gwen, "I stopped by the Mansion today and Pepper got a new assistant already. Her name's Amanda Bartels."

"Is she nice?"

"Seems to be. But she's friends with Daisy and, even though I'm friends with her too, that generally means she's probably a fangirl too."

"Because we really needed another one."

Gwen smiled and kissed Steve. When she moved away, she grabbed her and pulled her back to him. He then pulled her so that she fell on top of him.

"Really?" she asked with a smirk and rested her arms on his chest

Steve shrugged but smiled at her. "I can't resist your beautiful face."

Gwen managed to suppress a giggle, something she'd gotten really good at doing, and instead kissed him again, rather happy that he had no trouble complimenting her anymore.

* * *

On the top of a building in Hell's Kitchen, a man in a red suit sat ready to strike. He knew that on the other side of the window was the Fixer, the man responsible for his father's death. He had taken down a few of the Fixer's men, but that was nothing compared to what he'd feel when his father would be truly avenged.

And so he waited.

"Mr. Murdock?"

The man froze, his heart beating fast in his chest. How could someone not only find him, but know who he was? Had he screwed up somehow and let his identity slip.

The man could feel the presence of whoever spoke to him and felt stupid for not having felt it before. He had been so concentrated on getting revenge that nothing else had mattered. Maybe that's where he messed up.

He looked over his shoulder and then turned around, standing up straight at the same time. Although he couldn't truly see the person that stood before him, he could tell it was someone powerful and that they were probably here for an important reason. Why else would they be on the rooftops of this neighborhood in Manhattan?

"How do you know my name?" he asked the stranger.

"I know a lot of things Mr. Murdock," answered the stranger. "I know your name is Matthew Murdock and that you finished law school and you've just got your job as a lawyer. I know about the accident that caused your blindness and I know you're seeking revenge for your father's death."

Matt wasn't sure whether to be impressed or frightened.

"And who are you?" he asked.

"My name's Nick Fury," replied the stranger. "I'm the director of SHIELD."

"That sounds familiar."

"I would be surprised if it didn't. I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers."

Now that was surprising.

"What about them?"

He could tell Fury had a bit of a smile on his face at this point.

"I want you to join them," said Fury.

Matt shook his head. "I'm not a hero."

"That's what they all say."

There was silence for a moment.

"I don't know," said Matt at last. "I don't fight crime."

"Then what are you doing right now?"

Matt shook his head. "This is different."

"Trust me, we could use you on our team. Think about it. Come by Avengers Tower when you've made up your mind."

Matt listened as Fury's footsteps indicated he was walking away and didn't move out of his tense position until he was sure the stranger was gone. He turned back to the window to continue watching for the Fixer, but now he had a distracting thought in his mind.

* * *

**I would like to point out that Plastics Engineering is a real company as my dad actually does work there as a computer programmer but there is no Florida branch. That is made up.**

**Also, I have not actually seen the 2003 Daredevil movie so I'm trying my best here. It's obviously not following that film.**


	6. Chapter Six

**I would like to apologize in advance for future lack of posting. School starts here on Tuesday and it's gonna be a busy year. However, I will not forget about this story, I promise.**

**Itsgoose2u: Thanks! They are pretty cool actually haha. **

**12141998: Perhaps sometime in the future Elektra will appear but right now she won't. And thanks!**

**Arrows the Wolf: Yay for Daredevil!**

**The Red Dove: Aw man that really sucks. I love them too. That would definitely help. It won't be a heavy influence on this story, but it would be nice so thank you :D**

**Silvertail of shoreclan: Haha sorry. I just haven't had a lot of time to write. And thank you!**

**LianaDare8: Norman's son is Harry haha. I promise I'll do the crossover in the future as it's be really fun. I know that one day will watch Nolan's batman films in full so I will hopefully do a bruce Wayne/OC story one day haha. And yeah Gwen's kind of just there. **

**mercy . pond: I'm glad you think so! I'm worried I might have too much going on. Apparently Stan Lee didn't even like that movie haha. Gwen and SteveDodd "honeymoon" but I'm a super awkward sixteen year old so yeah haha. **

**Phantom-Demon: Yay! I'm glad its awesome!**

**Lena Sauran: Everyone seems to love him this is crazy. **

**MysticRyter: I would've thought that too. **

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: I laughed more than I should have at that omg. **

**bookworm1517: I am so so so so sorry then. Clintasha will prevail in the end, but something needs to get Clint going, y'know? Trust me, Natasha and Matt aren't permanent. **

* * *

**Chapter Six**

The next day, like all days, Gwen and Steve got up and got ready before heading off for the Tower. When Gwen checked her phone she saw a text from Daisy saying her and Darcy had discovered a cinema room in the mansion and were spending the day watching Sherlock and drowning in their own tears. Gwen simply shook her head and went on with her day, not able to understand the way those two were.

At the Tower it seemed Luke was gone on mission with his business and wasn't expected back until Gwen's party which was apparently scheduled for the upcoming Sunday, the day of Gwen's birthday. She wondered how Pepper would be able to plan anything if the party was only in a matter of days and when she voiced this to Tony, he scoffed and she realized Pepper had actually been planning it longer than Gwen had originally thought. That didn't help her feel any better about it.

Gwen helped Jane with a satellite that was being placed on the roof of the Tower which apparently would help with atmospheric disturbances and the data could also be sent to the West Coast where Erik could read it and he and Jane could compare notes. Gwen just pretended to understand everything and wondered if that's how Darcy always felt.

Gwen then retreated to her office where she looked over the security system of the Tower, making sure everything was in order. She had JARVIS pull up many different cameras so she could get an idea for what was going on. It seemed the Tower had been rather quiet with nothing but AIM being their threat and there hadn't been any advancement in finding them. Obviously MODOK was a different leader than Baron von Strucker.

The weapons vault now had two guards constantly standing watch after Amora the Enchantress had gained access through her magic. Gwen didn't understand what difference it made having guards as she could just use her magic on them as well. However, a new addition to the vault had been added; the Super-Adaptoid aka the machine that AIM created to specifically kill Steve. Thor had suggested he take it to Asgard with him, but that realm already had the Infinity Gauntlet along with the gems, the Tesseract and Loki's scepter that he had used in his attack on New York along with many other relics.

It seemed everything was right with the Tower and it was an added bonus that Tony didn't blow anything up.

At lunch, everyone devoured their food. Gwen sat with Natasha in order to keep the assassin from escaping social interaction through the air vents. Gwen knew that the redhead was still upset over Clint and Bobbi, but she was getting better. She was going on more lone missions and took out her anger on her targets. However, she was becoming a bit of a hermit and stayed either in the gym beating up dummies or hung out in her apartment. Pepper wasn't there as she was having a meeting with a company that was based in Colorado and Amanda was most likely with her.

"Attention!"

Gwen looked up from game of hangman she forced Natasha to play on a napkin to see Fury standing in the cafeteria along with Phil and a stranger. The stranger was tall and had reddish brown hair. He wore a fancy suit that looked rather expensive and wore sunglasses despite being inside. Gwen wondered why until she saw the cane in his hand. He was blind.

"Everyone, this is Matthew Murdock-"

"Please call me Matt," interrupted the newbie.

"Alright, Matt Murdock. Although he is undecided about joining the Avengers, he has at this point been hired as a consultant."

Tony rose immediately and went up the man, ready to grab his hand to shake it. He seemed surprised though when Matt raised his hand in Tony's direction.

"Tony Stark," said Matt with a smirk, "nice to meet you."

"Wow," answered Tony with a look of amazement, "you're good."

Matt shrugged. "I've been blind since I was twelve."

"And he has enhanced other senses," added Phil.

"True, true."

"That's impressive," stated Tony. "What do they call you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Y'know, superhero name. You wouldn't happen to be that red suited vigilante, would you?"

"Actually yes and they call me Daredevil. It's been a nickname since I was a kid."

"Alrighty, well, welcome to the team...sort of. But trust me, I wouldn't join if I were you. It would mean selling your soul to Fury."

"Stark," said Fury in a warning voice like a parent scolding a child.

Tony raised his arms in surrender and backed off. "Easy there, big guy. I come in peace."

Gwen found herself rolling her eyes as Fury introduced Matt to everyone. She smiled at him when Fury said her name, but she wasn't completely sure he knew she did.

"Clint's coming for your party," said Natasha randomly.

"That's great, right?" asked Gwen. "Is Bobbi coming?"

Natasha shook her head. "Nope. Just Clint."

"Are you - are you over him at all?"

She shrugged. "I'm not really sure."

"Romanoff!"

Both Gwen and Natasha looked up at Fury who was looking at the assassin.

"Yes, sir?" she asked.

"I need to speak with you."

With that, Fury walked out of the room with Matt, Natasha following behind them.

* * *

Out in the hall outside the cafeteria, Fury stood looking at Natasha and Matt as they stood side by side.

"Agent Romanoff," said the director, "I'm tasking you to watch over Mr. Murdock here."

"That's not really necessary-" began Matt.

"I want you getting used to this. I want you to join us Murdock. You could be a huge asset to the team. Perhaps Agent Romanoff can convince you."

Without another word, Fury pivoted on his heel and walked off, looking like he had somewhere to go. This left both Natasha and Matt in a bit of a stunned and slightly awkward silence.

Natasha cleared her throat. "I would be happy to help you around building."

Matt smiled at her. "Trust me, I'm fine. I can get around on my own."

"Yes, but Fury will probably throw me off the Tower if I don't do what he says."

This got a laugh even though Natasha was dead serious.

"I suppose a tour wouldn't kill me," said Matt. "Besides, I'd like to know why Fury chose you."

"Well, I've dealt with recruiting people before."

"Oh really? What makes you so special."

"I'm Russian."

* * *

The sky in Los Angeles was a bit cloudy and a slight breeze blew through the air. This, however, was unfelt by Hank and Janet, the two of them in the former's lab in the West Coast Tower.

"Why are we doing this again?" asked Janet, moving some of her short auburn hair away from her face. "And why am I dressed in this?"

Janet was dressed in a skintight red suit that was a lot like Hank's. The "ant whisperer" in the words o Tony Stark had a theory that he desperately wanted to test, but he had wanted to make sure that Janet wouldn't be harmed while he tested the theory.

"After careful calculations, I've come to the conclusion that somehow, you are a bit like me," said Hank. "I believe it was done by AIM, but how they got my particles is unknown."

"Wait, I'm gonna shrink?"

Hank saw that Janet was now panicking and knew that the experiment would be a failure if she didn't calm down at all, so he wrapped his arms around her to stop her from freaking out. Besides, he didn't like seeing her like that.

"It'll be fine," he mumbled to her. "I won't let anything bad happen, okay?"

He pulled away to see that Janet was still scared, but she nodded, not letting it bother her. She was strong and that was one of the many things Hank liked about her.

Hank returned the nod and placed some cords that were hooked up to machines on several places of Janet's skin. After he was done, he looked into her eyes.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, but didn't say anything.

Hank turned to a computer that sat next to Janet and typed in a few things before pressing a green button. He then looked up at Janet who, before his eyes, began to shrink from him inducing it. However, something different happened to her. He watched as she shrunk to the four inches he ordered and noticed that a pair of long, insect-like wings came out of her back.

"Oh my God," he muttered, kneeling down so he could see Janet better.

"Can I open my eyes now?" asked the winged woman

"Yeah, it worked."

Janet opened her eyes and looked around, feeling like an ant as everything was taller than her.

"This is incredible," stated Hank.

"That it worked?" asked Janet.

"No, the wings."

"The - the wings?"

Hank grabbed a nearby mirror and brought it down so Janet could see her reflection. Her eyes widened and she turned around, examining the wings that came out of the rips in the suit which were caused by the wings. She managed to flutter them and with a bit of concentration, she hovered in the air for a few seconds before falling back down.

"I can't believe this," continued Hank. "You don't mind if I...study you like this, do you?"

Janet once again attempted flight, but fell back down once more.

"Yeah," she answered, getting up, "just as long as you help me fly."

* * *

Around three in the afternoon, Gwen's door opened and, like always, she didn't notice. Her mind was far too focused on the work in front of her, something Tony had always tried to get her to stop which would lead to him trying to scare her which normally lead to a lecture from Obadiah or Pepper.

"Hey, buttercup."

Without Tony even trying, Gwen jumped and hit her chest with her hand as if to calm down her racing heart.

"My God, Tony," said Gwen as her heart rate went down, "must you really do that?"

Tony sat down in the extra chair that sat in the corner and pulled it up to sit in front of her desk. He shrugged and tapped the desk with his fingers.

"Can I help you?" she asked when he stared out the window behind her.

"You have an amazing view from up here," stated Tony at last.

"Yes, I do, now how can I help you?"

"Do you like raisins?"

Gwen furrowed her brow. "Do I - do I like raisins?"

"Yep." Tony then proceeded to reach into his pocket and pull out a squished box of raisins. He pointed it towards the young blonde.

"No I - no. I don't like raisins."

"Suit yourself."

Tony poured a few raisins into his palm, leaned back and put his feet up on a clear space on her desk.

"Nope, put the feet down."

Tony ignored her and looked around the room while Gwen attempted to shove his sneaker covered feet off of her desk. The moment she was successful he just put them right back up.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Gwen mumbled.

"Is that a pull out couch?" asked Tony curiously.

"No, why?"

Tony shrugged. "Just curious."

Gwen rolled her eyes, sure that Tony wanted to make sure she and Steve weren't doing anything inappropriate in her office.

"What do you want, Tony?"

He finally looked at her with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"I want you to come with me," he answered.

Gwen still had no idea what Tony wanted as she followed him to the elevator and to one of his lesser used labs. It was quiet as the elevator dinged and opened on the right floor. Tony strode forward with his hands in his pockets and towards something tall that was covered with a tarp.

"Another secret project?" asked Gwen as she eyed it, following Tony.

"You could say that," he answered, turning to her with a serious look on his face. "Gwendolyn, I wanted to give this to you now not just because I recently finished it, but because it's something special from me to you. This is my early birthday present to you."

Gwen nodded and Tony removed the tarp.

It was a suit.

An Iron Man suit.

Gwen smiled widely as she looked at it. The way it was painted was perfect, especially for the wife of Captain America.

The faceplate was silver with a line of red that went around it. The rest of the the helmet was blue, like the chest which had a white star in the middle. Underneath that was red and white stripes. The gloves and boots were red and the arms and legs were blue. All in all, it was perfect.

"It can convert into a small briefcase so you can take it on missions or to the grocery store or whatever," stated Tony as Gwen walked around the suit, taking in every detail.

"Thank you so much, Tony," said Gwen, turning to the billionaire and wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey, it's the least I could do. As much as I hate to admit it, you've done a lot for me."

Gwen pulled back and smiled at him. "That's very true."

"Now come on. Why don't you take it out for a spin?"

* * *

**Okay so yeah I have essentially given Gwen the Iron Patriot suit because I have no will to give it to Osborn. And because I'm super stoked they're using it in Iron Man 3. I really hope you guys are happy with the decision to give it to her!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Well, my advisor didn't enroll me in my classes (I take online school) and now I have to wait days to start. So all I can do is go to orchestra and work on my Norse Mythology project. And also write fanfiction. Which is why this chapter is longer. Hope you enjoy the product of my frustrating day.**

**Arrows the Wolf: Aww yeah!**

**LianaDare8: Perhaps there might be some romance. **

**Itsgoose2u: Thanks! I'm pretty excited too. I can't wait for Gwen to use it. **

**The Red Dove: I know right? That sounds like a pretty goof plan haha. Hope it works!**

**MysticRyter: Deadpool's pretty cool though. I love him so much. Is that like a cartoon? God I feel stupid haha. **

**Phantom-Demon: Haha she kinda is! I didn't really notice that. **

**Koko7180: Wow, thank you so much! That means a lot to me. And I hope you have a good start too!**

**Lena Sauran: Haha I know right? I couldn't think of anything else for her. **

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

In the hills on the outskirts of a Siberian village, Schmidt waited with a head AIM agent named Lenny Sievers who was staring through a pair of high-tech binoculars. He zoomed in and out on the village, waiting for the assassin to come out from his finished job so Schmidt could approach him.

"His name's Brock Rumlow," stated Sievers. "Zola's codename for him is Crossbones."

Schmidt smirked. He liked that name. It wasn't wimpy like Captain America. It sounded much stronger.

"Here he comes."

Schmidt stopped his daydreaming of strangling the Star Spangled Man with a Plan with his bare hands and snatched the binoculars from Sievers who didn't seem to care. Through the lenses, which were very confusing at first, Schmidt could see a tall, muscular man exited a small hut like building. He was wiping a red substance off of his hands with a rag and looked around to see if the coast was clear before heading to the edge of the village. He wore a large trench cost and combat boots that left tracks in the mud. Schmidt watched as Rumlow pulled something out of his coat and then pulled it over his head. It was a black mask that would make one think of a wrestler.

"I vill talk to him alone," stated Schmidt, handing the binoculars back to Sievers.

"Yes, sir," answered the agent who turned back to watch over the village.

Schmidt, however, left their hiding spot and went in the direction he saw Rumlow heading. The end of his black trench coat picked up dirt from brushing over the ground.

It wasn't long before Schmidt intercepted Rumlow.

"So, Mr. Rumlow, it iz nice to meet you."

Rumlow whipped around at Schmidt's voice, a handgun drawn and pointed at the German.

"Who are you?" asked Rumlow in a deep voice.

Schmidt gave an amused smile before stepping forward and placing a hand on his chest.

"I am Johann Schmidt."

Rumlow lowered the gun immediately. Obviously Zola had mentioned the Red Skull before. And obviously Zola had spoken with respect.

"I apologize, sir," said Rumlow quickly. "I should've made the connection."

"Do not fret, no harm vas done," replied Schmidt.

"What can I do for you?"

"I hear you are an assassin."

"Yes, I am. I work for Doctor Zola along with many others. He normally just uses me, Barnes and Thurman. Romanov defected a while ago and Wilson's insane. He once stabbed and killed a guard because he ate the last cheese puff."

"How...important hafe your targets been?"

Rumlow shrugged. "I've killed, like, mayors before."

"How would you feel about killing a 'hero'?"

There was a small silence before Rumlow spoke again.

"What hero are we talking about?"

Schmidt smiled. "Captain America."

Rumlow looked around for a second as if paranoid someone could be listening.

"Barnes has talked about him a few times. Says he's famous. How much are you gonna pay me?"

"Anything you vant."

Rumlow nodded. "There's a catch, isn't there?"

Schmidt simply smiled. "You vill know eferything if you come vith us, Mr. Rumlow."

Another silence fell upon them as the assassin thought. He then nodded.

"Alright. I'll do it."

* * *

"Have you ever felt so comfortable that you thought you were laying on a cloud?"

"Steve, clouds aren't made of fluffy goodness. You'd fall right through."

"Do you have no imagination?"

"Hey, I'm not an artist like you."

"I'm sure you're not that bad."

"I have no ability to draw stick figures. I might as well be a potato."

Steve's laughter filled the bedroom and Gwen finally opened her eyes. Morning light was filtering through the blinds, shade and curtain over the window. Gwen sighed contently as her head laid on Steve's chest. She was incredibly tired as she had stayed up late flying around New York in her new suit. It turned out Tony had built the suit to work with Gwen's ability and that had also slightly drained her energy as she used up her own. Tony also decided to nickname her "Shock" as she was thoroughly shocking or something like that. Gwen hadn't paid attention. However, she got several texts that now referred to her as that name. According to Daisy, this made her an official superhero, something Gwen didn't really want to be.

"You're not a potato," said Steve after his laughing fit was over and he resumed letting his fingers roam through his wife's light blonde curls, "you're more like a...a dog."

Gwen furrowed a brow. "A dog?"

"Yeah, you're loyal, you have great puppy eyes that make me melt and you're adorable."

"Then you're like a dog too. A golden retriever to be specific."

"We should get a dog."

"Why would we need a dog if we're as good as one?"

"No, I mean just getting a real dog."

"Is this because I said no to a baby?"

"No, it's not."

"Are you sure? Because we're still not having one."

Steve sighed. "Do you not want a dog?"

"No, it's just...is getting a dog a good idea right now?"

Before Gwen knew it, Steve had slid out from under her and climbed out of bed. Her head hit his pillow and she looked up in confusion as he stalked off towards the bathroom. Gwen groaned and rolled her eyes with frustration. It was time for Steve to be an idiot yet again.

She heard the shower start and assumed that Steve was probably angry for some reason and wanted to calm down before he said something he'd regret. It was a tactic Gwen had taught him as she normally tried to do that kind of thing herself. But she couldn't help but feel peeved that Steve was upset because she didn't want to get a dog. It wasn't like the end of the world.

While Steve showered, Gwen grabbed the paper from the front porch which was talking about an upcoming project with NASA involving the famous Victor Von Doom. She had never been a fan of the man and thought that he was worse than Tony. The idea of him working with NASA was a frightening idea. But Gwen read about it anyway seeing as it would be all Tony and Bruce would talk about which would lead to Pepper and Betty spending time together in order to get away from their significant others.

While Gwen finished her breakfast, Steve came in with damp hair and dressed in a white cotton t-shirt and tan pants. He got his own breakfast and sat down at the table without a word.

"Done being angry?" asked Gwen with raised eyebrows.

Steve sighed. "I'm not angry."

"You're upset though."

"I'm not upset."

"Liar."

"It's just...I want to live life."

Gwen fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Because getting a dog is really living."

Steve sighed. "I mean, like, doing things in life. I don't want time to take everything away again."

"Steve, just look at our situation-"

"Which means we should do something."

"AIM wants you dead, Steve! They probably want me dead too! Do you realize what would happen if we got a dog or had kid? They automatically become targets."

Steve didn't look at her and instead played with his cereal.

"I just think that we shouldn't be so..."

"So what, Steve? So cautious? So careful? We chose to live this life. If you wanted to be cautious and careful, you should've never gotten that serum."

"Gwen-"

Gwen wasn't having any more of it and got up to take her own shower. It also gave her a chance to give him a taste of his own medicine.

After finishing, Gwen walked out of the bathroom in her robe, attempting to towel dry her hair the best she could.

"Gwen..."

She looked up to see a guilty faced Steve. She suddenly felt bad for acting like she did. She hated seeing him look like that. However, perhaps her point had been proven.

"I'm sorry," he said, not meeting her eyes. "It's just hard sometimes. I guess I'm just...I'm just scared everything will be taken from me again."

Gwen nodded. "It's fine, just as long as you understand."

He leaned down and gently placed his lips on hers. Gwen deepened the kiss and ran her fingers through his hair. She didn't realize he had pushed her onto the bed until her head lightly hit the mattress.

"So I'm forgiven?" asked Steve with puppy eyes.

Gwen rolled her eyes with a playful smile. "Just shut up and kiss me."

* * *

After a thirty minute delay, Gwen and Steve finally finished getting ready and headed for the Tower. The two of them normally got there between nine and ten. However, it was nearing eleven by the time Steve parked the Beetle in the parking garage. The two got out of the car and Gwen grabbed her satchel before crinkling her nose as the smell of cigarette smoke hit her. She turned around in hopes of finding the culprit and getting them to stop when she realized she recognized the culprit.

"Happy!"

Gwen smiled at Happy Hogan as he leaned against his black sedan, a lit cigarette in his hand. She had tried so many times to get him to stop smoking but he never listened. Not even the gross pictures of tar filled lungs got him to change his mind.

"Gwendolyn," he answered politely with a nod.

Gwen supposed he was still slightly peeved at her actions in Malibu, but then again they had never really been great friends or anything. Tony made Happy drive Gwen from the office building to the factory and back at Stark Industries far too many times.

"What are you doing here?" Gwen asked, approaching Happy.

"Tony asked that I come up here seeing as he isn't going to be traveling back to California too much," he replied.

"Oh, Happy, this is my husband Steve," Gwen introduced, motioning to Steve, "Steve this is Happy Hogan, Tony's bodyguard."

The two respectfully shook hands and greeted one another.

"Gwenie, are you bugging the good man?"

At the sound of Tony's voice, Gwen rolled her eyes and turned towards the elevator. Tony was dressed casually with a leather jacket, gray t-shirt and faded blue jeans. Gwen connected the dots and realized that Happy was driving Tony somewhere, but she couldn't help but wonder where if he was dressed like this.

"No, I was not, Tony," said Gwen as he walked up to them.

"Good girl." Tony clapped his hands together. "Let's go Hogan!"

"Wait, where are you going?" asked Gwen.

"Pepper wants me to go to this meeting in D. C. today. I can't really say no to the woman that's, y'know, carrying my child."

Happy opened the passenger door and Tony followed to get in.

Gwen nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help while your gone."

"Actually," said Tony, "if you could keep Banner from jumping off the Tower that'd be great."

"Why would he do that?" asked Steve, furrowing his brow.

"General Ross is coming to see his daughter today. Let's just say he and Banner aren't exactly the best of friends."

"I'm assuming he knows about the Hulk?" asked Gwen.

Tony nodded. "Banner's been freaking out about it. Just keep him calm."

With a smirk at his little joke at the end, Tony got in the car and Happy went to the other side to get in the driver's seat. Gwen waved goodbye to Tony who stuck his right hand out the window with the peace sign. Gwen shook her head with a sigh as the sedan left the garage.

"I should probably find Bruce," said Gwen.

"I'll be in the gym," added Steve.

One elevator ride later, Steve got off on his floor and Gwen entered Bruce's lab where she figured he'd most likely be as on this floor was what Tony liked to call the Rage Room. Basically it was an area that Bruce could go to if he knew he couldn't stop the Hulk from coming out and not fear that something bad would happen.

However, it seemed Bruce was not alone. The same moment Gwen saw him at a counter she saw Pepper on the other side, looking like she was desperate to convince him of something. Amanda was spinning in a swiveling chair and wrote down some things on a clipboard.

"Maybe you two can talk about it," said Pepper.

"Absolutely not," answered Bruce, turning to a microscope.

"Talk about what?"

Everyone looked up at Gwen as she walked in. Bruce sighed as Pepper's face lit up, most likely thrilled there might be someone who could agree with her.

"Gwendolyn!" exclaimed the strawberry blonde, "I was just talking to Bruce about General Ross visiting today."

"And what about him?"

"Well, I think that perhaps Bruce and General Ross could possibly talk about a bit of a truce."

Bruce snorted and Pepper threw a glare at him.

Gwen thought about what she should say. She had read about Bruce's - or really the Hulk's - mayhem in Harlem and the incident at Culver University. She could only assume he and General Ross weren't on good terms. She honestly couldn't blame Ross as who would approve of their daughter being in a relationship with someone who had the power to destroy a city? But this was Bruce Banner. When he wasn't a rage machine, he was as cuddly as a teddy bear, at least in Gwen's opinion. When she first met him she didn't see the Hulk at all. All she saw was someone who didn't need more people being afraid of him.

"I think," started Gwen slowly, "that I should talk to him."

Bruce looked up from his microscope with a furrowed brow and a relieved expression. Pepper looked a bit confused.

"What?" asked Pepper.

"Well, I am a SHIELD agent so it might sound good coming from me that Bruce isn't any threat."

"That's what you'd say?" asked Bruce, taking off his glasses and setting them on the counter. "You'd say I'm not a threat?"

"Yes, because I trust you. It's the truth."

Bruce laughed without humor. "No, no you don't understand. I can't control the other guy, you know that."

"You can Bruce, I've seen it."

"That's when he's angry at something other than people."

"Or maybe he recognized those people and didn't attack them."

"You know what? I would prefer that I'm left out of this whole thing. Just have Betty and him meet, have them talk, but don't mention me."

"Betty will," argued Pepper.

"Then tell her not to."

"No, you should tell her not to."

"Pepper-"

"Don't you Pepper me! You need to show General Ross exactly what Gwendolyn has said because its true! We trust you Bruce! You have to see that!"

"For the record," piped up Amanda, making everyone look at her, "I think the Hulk's pretty awesome."

There was a silence following her words in which Pepper looked like the leader of a triumphant army and Gwen was trying to hold back a laugh at how casual Amanda had sounded.

"No," said Bruce. "I refuse."

"What's the worst that could happen?" asked Pepper.

Bruce looked up at her with a knowing look.

Pepper sighed. "Okay, some bad things could happen. And maybe they won't! You won't know until you try."

Bruce sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers.

"Listen," he said, "I will talk to him if and only if you can convince him not to try and kill me on the spot. Do you understand?"

Pepper nodded quickly. Bruce then turned to Gwen.

"Make sure she doesn't overdo it," he added to her.

Gwen nodded as well.

"Well, that's settled," said Pepper excitedly. "He should be here in about ten minutes. Betty's meeting us in the lobby."

* * *

Gwen went with Pepper and Amanda down into the Avengers Tower lobby. A young blonde receptionist sat behind a desk where a small line was formed. Pepper's heels clicked on the beautiful marble floor and could be heard throughout the lobby. She lead Gwen and Amanda to a waiting area equipped with a nice brown rug and three leather couches on top of that. A glass table sat in the center with several old magazines that Tony had put there as a bit of a joke. Sitting there was Betty and an older man that Gwen assumed was General Ross, who was obviously early.

Betty looked at the three approaching women and smiled. Ross' eyes followed his daughter's and he stood up. Gwen saw he was dressed in some sort of uniform.

"General," greeted Pepper, "it's nice to meet you. I'm Pepper Potts."

The two shook hands.

"This is my assistant Amanda Bartels," said Pepper," and this is Gwendolyn Rogers."

Ross nodded and shook hands with both the redhead and the blonde.

"Pleasure," he said.

"Where's Bruce?" asked Betty. "I thought he'd be here too."

"Bruce?" repeated Ross with a furrowed brow. "Please tell me there's another Bruce in this building."

"He asked us to tell you-"

"He can tell us himself," Betty interrupted Gwen.

Betty the took her father's arm and started leading him towards the elevator.

"Betty, wait!" called Gwen.

But she didn't stop.

Gwen turned to Pepper and Amanda. "Stay here."

"What?" asked Pepper. "Why, Bruce isn't-"

"Just in case, Pepper. Just in case."

Before anymore words could be said, Gwen sprinted to the elevator where Betty and General Ross already stood. She managed to slip through the steel doors before they closed and nearly slammed into the elevator wall, receiving strange looks from both Ross's.

Gwen nodded at them in response and stood awkwardly with them until the doors opened to reveal Bruce's lab. She stepped out first in hopes of warning him.

"Back already?" asked Bruce as Gwen came into view but he didn't have enough time to register her panicked expression before Betty and General Ross came up from behind her.

Betty smiled at Bruce and let go of her father's arm to walk up to her boyfriend.

"Dad, this is-"

"Banner."

Even Gwen flinched at the General's voice.

"General Ross," answered Bruce respectively with a nod.

Betty frowned. "You two know each other?"

"I thought most of your memories were back?" asked Ross.

"I thought so too..."

Gwen saw that neither Bruce nor Ross had broken eye contact. This worried her. She needed to take action now before something got out of hand. But before she could say something, Ross spoke.

"Elizabeth, do you remember what Banner is?" he asked.

Gwen saw Bruce wince.

"He - he's a scientist," answered Betty. "Dad, what is this about?"

"Do you not remember anything...green?"

"General Ross," said Gwen, "this isn't why you're here."

"I am here to help Betty remember things, Ms. Rogers. She needs to remember what he is."

Gwen stepped in between Ross and Bruce, the two of them rather close now.

"General, Bruce has helped so many people," she continued. "If it weren't for him I'd be suffering from horrible migraines, but he helped me. He's not endangering anyone."

"Why would he endanger anyone?" asked Betty, sounding incredibly concerned. "Bruce, what are they talking about?"

Gwen stepped to the side when Ross didn't respond. But he then moved forward and filled the gap between him and Bruce.

"I will give you a chance to take off," threatened Ross. "If you don't, I'll be forced to take matters into my own hands."

"Dad!" exclaimed Betty.

Bruce nodded and swallowed.

"No," argued Gwen. "Bruce isn't going anywhere. He is a good man and we need him."

"You need him or the Hulk?"

Gwen clenched her jaw. "We need both."

"What is going on?" asked Betty, sounding very annoyed now.

A beeping noise coming from Bruce's watch made them all stare at his wrist.

"Are we making you angry, Banner?" asked Ross.

Bruce didn't answer and took a deep breath. He turned to go into the Rage Room, but the next thing Ross said made him stop.

"That's right Banner, just walk away again. It's what you seem to be good at doing."

And that's when the ripping started.

Gwen whirled around, her blonde curls flying as she gasped at the sight. Bruce was falling to his knees and made a failed attempt at steadying himself. There were rips in his blue button down shirt and through that, Gwen could see green skin.

"Crap," she muttered. "Betty, General, get back!"

Gwen was reaching into her satchel for her phone that she could use to call Phil, knowing he could help in this situation. She just needed to stay calm and get everyone away from Bruce. By the time she looked up, it was no longer Bruce that she saw, but the Hulk. His back was still to them and was now only wearing ripped black jeans.

"Bruce?" asked Betty.

Heart racing, Gwen saw Betty move forward towards the Hulk.

"Betty, no-"

Gwen grabbed onto the young woman but was shaken off. She tried again to no success.

"Elizabeth," scolded Ross but Betty didn't listen.

"Bruce?" she asked again.

Gwen hesitated, wondering if the Hulk would act different towards Betty. Hadn't Gwen just told Bruce that the Hulk recognized the Avengers and that's why he never attacked them? If he'd recognize anyone, it'd be Betty.

As Betty approached, the Hulk slowly turned around. He stumbled backwards as if trying to find some sort of balance before staring angrily at Betty. The strange thing was, she showed no fear. If it had been Gwen in that position, not remembering who the Hulk was and then seeing him right there, she would've been thoroughly freaked out. Instead Betty seemed concerned. Like she was more worried the Hulk would hurt himself.

The Hulk looked over Betty and his face seemed to soften. He stood there with a confused look on his face. It seemed to Gwen that the Hulk was trying to make a decision. Betty reached forward and gently placed a hand on the Hulk's log sized green arm. He looked at her hand and then back at her face. Suddenly, his eyes changed from green to a soft brown. Gwen realized that he was shrinking and his skin was going from green to Bruce's tan. Before she knew it, Bruce was standing where the Hulk had been, though he looked exhausted. His ripped pants were barely being held up. Gwen hurried forward just in time to catch him as he passed out.

Gwen slowly lowered Bruce to the ground and Betty kneeled down and sat next to him. She gently stroked his hair with a worried look on her face. After making sure Bruce was okay, Gwen stood up and looked at General Ross who didn't show any form of expression on his face.

"General, I have to go make a few phone calls," said Gwen politely, "could you please stay with Betty until I come back?"

Ross nodded but didn't do anything else.

Gwen then went to the elevator and took out her phone as the doors closed.

"Keep watch on them, alright JARVIS?" she asked.

"Of course, Agent Rogers," replied the AI.

Gwen dialed Tony's number and he picked up after two rings, the same moment the elevator doors opened, revealing the lobby. Pepper and Amanda were waiting in none other than the waiting area. Pepper got up right away and nearly ran over to Gwen.

"Sexy billionaire at your service," came Tony's voice through the phone.

"What happened?" asked Pepper at the same time. "Where's Betty and the General?"

Gwen put a finger up to Pepper with an apologetic look, but the CEO wanted nothing of it.

"Tony, it's me," said Gwen just as Pepper exclaimed, "Don't you one minute me!"

"What's up, buttercup?" asked Tony.

"Bruce hulked out."

Pepper gasped and started going towards the elevator. Gwen didn't stop her, nor Amanda who ran after her like a puppy.

"You had one job Gwendolyn, one job."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "It wasn't my fault, Tony."

"I'm not blaming you. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. It seems the other guy has a soft spot for Betty."

"I knew it. I knew it would work."

Gwen paused, the gears in her brain going full speed. "You - you knew it would work?"

"Well, yeah. I set this whole thing up."

"Oh my God, Tony! Are you insane!"

"Who's insane?"

Gwen turned to see Steve getting out of the elevator with slightly damp hair from working out. His face showed concern as he took in his wife's outraged expression.

"Tony," continued Gwen, attempting to keep her voice calm, "explain to me how this was a good idea."

"Well, I'm assuming Ross was in the room as well?"

"Yes, that's why I might me a bit worried."

"Don't be. He just saw what power his daughter has over the not so jolly green giant. He can be calmed. He can recognize people. The Hulk isn't just anger, he's just got anger management problems."

Gwen took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, now understanding why Bruce did that so much.

"You are seriously lucky, Anthony Stark."

"I always am. That's why I just won three grand."

"You just - there is no meeting in D. C., is there?"

"Nope. Happy and I hit a nearby casino. Well, more like me."

"I'm gonna rat you out to Bruce when he wakes up."

"Eh, someone would tell him anyway. Listen, I've gotta go. I'll be back tonight."

"Alright. Bye Tony."

"Buh-bye, buttercup."

Gwen pulled the phone away from her ear and hit the end button. She sighed loudly and looked up at Steve whose eyebrows were raised.

"You wanna hear a good story?"


	8. Chapter Eight

**I'm so sorry it took me this long. Okay so it wasn't that long but still. I had serious writer's block with this chapter and I think this one sucks so I'll update ASAP.**

**Arrows the Wolf: WHOOP!Good job. **

**The Red Dove: I know right? Thank you! I hope thatloan worked!**

**LianaDare8: Hahaha I'm glad you're excited! I really like that name.**

**Itsgoose2u: Thank you! Haha I would flail too. I hate that Bruce can't realize that himself. **

**MysticRyter: I'm gonna have to look it up. IM SORRY. Hopefully you stop hurting soon. **

**Phatom-Demon: Thank you very much! Hope your laptops okay haha. **

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: Hahaha tony better watch out. I KNOW LET'S JUST FREAK OUT BECAUSE THEY'RE SO PRECIOUS. **

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

The rest of Gwen's day went by much better than the morning. After explaining the situation to Steve, who got worried right away, she called Phil who would alert Fury of the situation. Gwen knew that Bruce wouldn't be happy with her doing so, but it'd be better if she alerted the head of SHIELD now and not procrastinate.

She then went back to Bruce's lab where Pepper was speaking with Amanda about what they were going to do about the lab equipment that Gwen hadn't realized was completely destroyed. Pepper said that Bruce had been taken to the medical ward and Betty had gone with him. Apparently Natasha took General Ross to a different part of the Tower for reasons unknown.

Gwen let it slip to Pepper what Tony had done and needless to say the CEO was furious. She even asked Amanda to make an appointment for Pepper to kick Tony's ass. Phil came in from wherever he had been and talked with General Ross. Gwen had no idea what the Agent said, but he managed to convince Ross that Bruce wasn't a threat or at least one to Betty.

Gwen then went up to the medical ward to look for Bruce. The head doctor there, Fred, pointed her to the right room and he entered, only to interrupt an argument.

"Betty, you're not listening-"

"No, you're not listening!"

"Is this a bad time?"

Gwen sounded awkward as she spoke and stepped into the room. Bruce was sitting on the bed, buttoning up a new green shirt and Betty was standing next to him, looking down with her hands defiantly placed on her hips. If her hair had been strawberry blonde Gwen would've thought she was Pepper.

"No," answered Betty, "just as long as you explain to Bruce that there's nothing wrong with him."

Bruce finished dressing and sighed. "Betty-"

"She's right," interrupted Gwen. "There's nothing wrong with you."

Bruce scoffed. "Have you met me?"

Gwen rolled her eyes and turned to a nearby monitor.

"JARVIS?" she asked. "Can you bring up the security feed from this morning in Bruce's lab on this?"

"Of course, Agent Rogers," replied the AI.

Gwen turned the monitor so that Bruce could see. The video showed the moment that Bruce turned to go to the Rage Room, but his clothes started ripping. Bruce winced and started looking away, but Gwen, who was thoroughly frustrated with the doctor's behavior, grabbed his face and turned him towards the monitor. He needed to see this.

The video showed Bruce, who was now the Hulk, turn towards Betty who was moving forward. He looked at her, his face softened and she put a hand on his arm. The video ended with the Hulk turning back into Bruce and Gwen managing to catch him. JARVIS turned off the feed.

After a moment, Gwen turned to Bruce to judge his expression. He looked conflicted. His face seemed confused, shocked, amazed and perhaps a bit...relieved.

"When will you accept that the other guy isn't just rage?" asked Gwen softly. "He's an asset, not a monster. He recognized Betty. You can't tell me that was just a coincidence."

Bruce shook his head and got up. He started going towards the door.

"Bruce, please," said Betty, looking incredibly desperate. "I don't care about this."

"But I do," argued Bruce.

"Did you not just see that video?" asked Gwen. "The Hulk's not gonna hurt her."

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out a sigh and let go.

"I think we're done here."

Bruce then stumbled out of the door, leaving Gwen and Betty behind. Gwen looked at the latter and watched as she went out the door, most likely after Bruce. Gwen wished there was something she could do, but Bruce was stubborn. He was beer going to accept that the Hulk wasn't so bad after all, even with events in the past proving it. No matter what anyone said, Bruce was going to stay convinced he was a danger to everyone. With a sigh, Gwen left the room.

* * *

Gwen woke up the next morning to a text message from Pepper telling her to drop by the mansion sometime that day. Steve gave his wife a look of sympathy knowing that Gwen was expecting the worst.

"I'm sure it's nothing big," he insisted once Gwen became frazzled.

"What if she wants to talk about that stupid party!" she exclaimed, straightening out her shirt.

Steve put his hands on her shoulders. "It won't kill you."

"I know. It's just I hate parties."

Steve leaned down and kissed her softly, his hands falling down to her lower back.

"I'll be there," he stated.

"But Pepper will make me socialize with other people."

"Once again, won't kill you."

Gwen leaned up and kissed him with a small smiled on her face.

"I'll just have to prove you wrong."

One drive to Avengers Mansion later, Gwen entered the building after JARVIS opened the door.

"Mrs. Stark is in the kitchen, Agent Rogers," stated the AI.

"Thanks, JARVIS."

Gwen entered the kitchen and found Pepper sitting at the table with Amanda, both of them on laptops. Gwen felt slightly awkward as she walked in seeing as both women were so absorbed in their work that they didn't notice the blonde come in.

"You wanted to talk to me?" asked Gwen, breaking the silence.

Pepper looked up with a smile. "Yes, thank you for coming. Sit down."

Gwen did as told and took a seat across the strawberry blonde and ginger.

"I just wanted to talk to you about a few things for your party," continued Pepper.

"Uh...sure," answered Gwen.

"First of all, would you like a theme?"

Gwen furrowed her brow. "A theme?"

"Y'know, like a certain movie or book or tv show-"

"Harry Potter?"

Pepper gave a sad smile. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Well, there will be some alcoholic beverages and those normally don't mix with with pointy sticks that are supposed to do magic."

Gwen nodded. "Star Wars?"

"Well-"

"Lightsabers. Got it. Uh, how about DC Comics?"

Pepper nodded. "That could work. Tony might be offended by anything Batman, but who cares if he's offended."

"Where's the party going to take place?"

"On the roof of the mansion. It's spacious enough to fit everyone comfortably and it's nice outside."

Gwen nodded nervously. "Is there a lot of people coming?"

"No, don't worry. You know everyone, it'll be okay."

"I know, I just don't like massive amounts of attention."

"Gwendolyn, you're a SHIELD agent, former employee of Stark Industries and the wife of Captain America. Attention should be your middle name."

Gwen groaned and let her head fall on the table with a thump.

"I wonder if Thor will show up..." Pepper trailed off.

"Did you invite him?" asked Gwen, still not picking up her head.

"Well, it's sort of hard to invite people from another realm."

"True, true."

"Wait," said Amanda, "Thor's the Asgardian, right?"

Gwen picked up her head and nodded.

Amanda smiled widely. "That's awesome."

"It's awesome until he smashes your fine china," retorted Pepper.

"Thor smashed your china?" asked Gwen.

"Yes. And he offered me oxen to make up for it. Oxen, Gwendolyn."

Gwen laughed. "He so needs to be at the party.

* * *

It was yet another night of studying for for Peter. The sky was turning a beautiful mixture of yellow and orange as afternoon turned into night. The air was warm, even warmer at Peter's position on the roof over his home's front door. His left leg hung off the edge, the other bent in a "v" shape. He tapped his pencil on his leg as he stared at the math equation in front of him before leaning down and writing out how to solve it.

The slamming of a car door, however, too him out of his concentration. He quickly whipped his head in the direction of the noise and saw a small but expensive looking car sitting in front of the Watson household. MJ was starting to walk towards her house with long and angry strides. Peter watched as Harry Osborn, brown hair and clothes rather disheveled, get out of the other side and run after his redheaded girlfriend.

"Where d'you think you're going?" called Harry, his words slightly slurred. "I'm not done talking to you!"

Peter felt very awkward, feeling like he was intruding on a private call. But then he shook his head. He was simply sitting on his roof and then they came along. He had a right to sit on his roof, didn't he?

"I'm done trying to talk to you, Harry," spat MJ at her boyfriend, turning around to face him.

"There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Look at yourself!" MJ then motioned towards Harry. "You are drunk off your ass at five in the evening and underage! That's something incredibly wrong!"

Harry scoffed. "Well aren't you just a little goodie-two-shoes."

"I'd rather be that than the guy who picks up his girlfriend from play practice with empty bottles of beer in the back seat."

"Maybe I just won't pick you up then!"

"Do I look like I care?" Peter wished he could see MJ's face to see for himself. "I'd rather you just stay away from me if this is what's going to happen."

"Trust me, I would if I wasn't being forced to read that Shakespearean crap."

There was a pause before MJ spoke again and Peter wished he could just melt into the shingles of the roof when he heard her.

"Don't you dare call his work crap," she said with less anger and more sadness. If Peter didn't know any better, he'd think she was close to crying.

"MJ-" started Harry, suddenly sounding less drunk.

"No, we'll talk when you're sober. For now just go away."

Peter didn't look as he heard MJ's hurried footsteps go to her front door. He heard it open and then slam shut. It felt like ages before Harry's feet finally moved back to his car. Peter heard the door close rather quietly and it was a few seconds before Harry sped off down the street. Spider-Man debated for a moment whether or not he should talk to MJ, but decided not too. They really weren't exactly friends. They were more like acquaintances. Acquaintances that just lived next to each other and happened to be friendly. Peter rubbed his face. That meant they were friends. He didn't want to make more friends. Anyone who was friends with him was immediately put in danger. That was the last thing Peter wanted for MJ.

He sighed and turned back to his studying. Why did being a superhero have to be so complicated?

* * *

"You were a ballerina?"

Natasha put down her water bottle on the table she sat at with Matt in the kitchen of Avengers Tower.

"Not exactly," she answered with a slight smile. "I was...brainwashed."

Matt nodded. "But you defected?"

"Yes. After Clint was sent to kill me I went back with him."

"He's the...archer, right?"

Natasha nodded.

"Are you two a thing?"

"Oh, uh, no. He's - he's married."

Matt raised his eyebrows. "Really? I would've expected you two to get together, being partners and all."

"I get that a lot."

An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment, something that was new to Natasha and Matt. Somehow the two had managed to become friends after Fury assigned the redheaded assassin to help out the blind lawyer. Surprisingly the two had more than a few things in common, like being excellent liars. Apparently that was a lawyer thing.

"Well," said Matt, his words cutting the awkwardness like a knife, "a beautiful woman like you shouldn't be upset over this."

Natasha furrowed her brow. Was he hitting on her? It wasn't like Tony who hit on people like it was a reflex, but a genuine compliment. And why did Natasha feel happy when she repeated those words in her head? She knew it was true, she should stop being upset. Clint was taken and she had to deal with it. And just because she couldn't have Clint doesn't mean she should give up on everything else.

"Really?" she asked with a smirk.

Matt leaned forward on the table. "How about I treat you to dinner tomorrow night. That is if you don't have anyone to kill."

"I believe I'm free tomorrow night."

"So it's settled. The spy and the vigilante going on a date."

And for the first time in a while, Natasha actually felt thrilled.

* * *

Stephen Strange was a very hard working man. He was still in Atlantis, even after the events that occurred in New York with the Green Goblin. Phil had of course come by many times to pass on classified information. The two even became good friends. Nevertheless, Stephen spent most of his time working. He had managed to create a working portal and was now working on another one to see if it was possible to connect the two. But then again, just about nothing was impossible for a human sorcerer.

It was beginning to get late as Stephen continued working on the second portal. He had shed his dark cloak from the heat this was bringing. Tools laid all around him, some magically enhanced and some not. It was completely and utterly silent as he hummed a tune to himself as he worked.

Out of nowhere, a loud bang distracted him. It seemed to have come from the underwater city's only entrance. Cautiously, Stephen rose from his position, going through some spells in his head. If it were someone he knew, they would've just come on in. There would've been no bang.

The sorcerer walked up the steps in the entrance foyer to the city and went through the first set of doors. He continued through the hall before reaching the last doors. He pressed a screen that was to the right and the doors slid open, only to have a person stumble in.

Stephen instinctively reached out to help the stranger who fell into his arms. The stranger coughed and Stephen moved away in order to get a good look at this person.

It was a man. Or at least he looked like a man. He was pale and muscular, his abdominals being seen through the black vest like shirt he wore. He wore a belt and his purple pants were tight. At his heels were looked to be curious little wings. Stephen looked at the stranger's face and saw a head full of black hair and his eyes were a blue-gray. His ears were pointed, reminding Stephen of Spock. There were also gills behind this man's ears which definitely seemed odd.

"I am sorry..." muttered the stranger.

"It's fine," answered Stephen. "Let's just get you somewhere better than here and dry you off."

Stephen helped the stranger into the common room where Stephen sat him down on a couch. The man seemed exhausted and was completely soaked. Stephen left and returned only minutes later with a large blue towel which he gave the stranger.

"Forgive me," said Stephen, sitting down in an armchair and leaning forward, "but what is you name?"

"Namor..." answered the stranger. "Namor McKenzie."

"And do you swim in the Atlantic Ocean often?"

Namor gave a ghost of a smile. "I suppose you could say that. And who are you?"

"Doctor Stephen Strange at your service."

"I see. And why are you in Atlantis?"

Stephen paused for a moment. "It is a former AIM base-"

"A former kingdom. My kingdom."

Namor stood up and threw the towel on the couch. Stephen watched curiously as the gilled-man walked about Stephen's work.

"Atlantis was yours?" asked Stephen.

"Yes," replied Namor. "I was its ruler. Ever since those...those people took it from us, we have been forced to the bottom of the ocean. I have been trying desperately to get in, but I never could."

"You can come back now. I'm sure that SHIELD would allow it."

Namor scoffed. "I will not allow my people to be experimented on."

"They won't be. I promise."

At Stephen's words, Namor turned to face the sorcerer with a furrowed brow. He cocked his head to the side as if trying to figure out if Stephen was lying. After a moment of silence, Namor nodded.

"Alright," said Stephen, "I shall contact Phil Coulson. He will be very helpful."

* * *

**And so now you know who Gwen saw when they were in Atlantis. I would like to point out that for the purpose of this story, Namor DID NOT fight in WWII nor did he ever lose his memories.**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Oh my God I'm so sorry. Yes, it hasn't been a torturous amount of time since the last update, but I have had such little motivation to do ANYTHING. Especially with the Avengers coming out next week. My mom says we're watching it over and over again.**

**LianaDare8: I will actually. But in the next installment. It will mainly focus around him. **

**Arrows the Wolf: WOOHOO!**

**Phantom-Demon: Hahaha totally understand. I'm glad you like Natasha/Matt. **

**Itsgoose2u: Thank you! I always feel so bad for Bruce. And I torture him too much haha. **

**LiebenMadchan: Goodness, thank you so much! That really made my day, thank you thank you thank you!**

**The Red Dove: yay for spiderman! That movie is so good. Hahaha I didn't even notice that. I bet there's some in this one too. But that one was funny. **

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: I was going to refer to Namor as the rapist but I was afraid of what people might think if they read that out of context hahaha. **

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

"Brother! Father must speak with us! I suggest you finally get out of bed!"

Loki was rudely awakened by Thor's booming voice. He groaned as he stirred in his bed, feeling a warm body beside him. It seemed that Sigyn had once again woken up in the middle of the night, snuck into his chambers and crawled into his bed. Every time he asked her why she was doing this every night since they got back to Asgard she simply said that it was too warm in her own chambers and his body cooled her down. Of course, he didn't mind waking up to her beside him. Though he'd never admit it, he secretly loved it. But he was too concerned about Sigyn to really think about that. He knew she was lying. He was the god of lies after all. But he didn't push it as she obviously didn't want to talk about it.

"Sigyn, love," he mumbled seeing as Thor didn't wake her, "are you alright?"

Sigyn's eyes fluttered open and Loki pushed a stray lock of golden hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes again.

"Mmhmm," she replied contently.

"Sigyn, you came in here again."

"I know."

"Dear, what is wrong?"

"Nothing."

Loki scoffed, beginning to feel irritated. "Stop lying."

Sigyn didn't answer and Loki wondered if he had sounded too harsh and he upset her. Panicking and cursing himself, Loki sat up quickly and looked down at Sigyn.

"Did I upset you?" he asked.

Sigyn furrowed her brow as she looked up at the young prince.

"Why would I be upset?" she replied.

Loki ran a hand over his face and felt Sigyn's arms wrap around his middle. She placed the side of her face on his back and he sighed.

"I promise you I am fine," Sigyn muttered. "You should not worry."

Loki didn't feel any less concerned with the situation and it seemed the golden haired Vanir wasn't going to tell. Loki took a deep breath to calm himself. He didn't want to lose his temper with Sigyn. He had done that before and still couldn't forgive himself for it even with Sigyn reassuring him that everything was okay.

However, Loki gave her a smile as he turned to look at her. He kissed her before swinging his legs off of the bed.

"You should hurry back to your chambers," he stated as Sigyn also got up. "Use that invisibility spell I taught you."

"I've already been using it, dear Prince," mocked Sigyn with an eye roll. "How do you think I have not been caught?"

Loki smiled cheekily at her. If there was anyone who made Loki happy, it was definitely Sigyn.

After Sigyn had snuck back to her chambers with only a nightgown and an invisibility spell, Loki got dressed into his his usual black and green before setting out to find Thor and Odin. He found them, of course, in Odin's hall. But they weren't alone.

In front of the All-father and the thunder god was an old woman. She was sort and wore a long black cloak. Her hood was up and it slightly covered her pale, wrinkly face.

"What is she doing here?" asked Loki, unimpressed by the presence of a prophetess.

"Take care of how you speak, Prince," sneered the old woman in a scratchy voice.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Forgive me, I am merely curious as to why you are here."

He then looked to Odin and Thor, neither looking too happy. Loki now noticed that Thor held Mjolnir in his hand and was gripping it tightly.

"Volla has given us a prophecy," stated Odin.

"And I am telling you I did no such thing!" exclaimed Volla. "I have no memory of giving you anything."

Odin nodded. "You are free to leave the palace."

"It is about time! I am due to eat dinner with my sister and I am very late, thank you very much."

Loki watched the old woman pivot on her heel and waddle away whispering to herself, her cloak sweeping across the floor.

"What did she say?" asked Loki, slightly concerned. Volla's prophecy's were always vague so they always came true, except for the ones she didn't know she told. Those were the ones that meant something more.

Odin took a deep breath before reciting what he had heard.

"_It will happen at a feast for one._

_The light will shine like the sun._

_Cries will be heard and tears will be shed,_

_As the warrior falls down to be dead._

_A trick will be played; it's believed_

_They will think their goal is achieved._

_But he will still fall_

_Making Earth feel so small._"

The three men stood in silence for a moment. Loki tried to figure out what this prophecy meant. All he could tell was that someone important to Earth was going to die, but a trick is involved somehow. Perhaps that person won't really die? Loki wasn't sure. But why was he called to talk to Odin? This didn't have to do with him.

"I do not understand," said Loki, "why did you summon us?"

"You are to travel to Midgard and provide watch over the Avengers," stated Odin.

"Why?"

"I have spoken with Heimdall. He says that there will be a party to soon to celebrate the birth of one of the mortals."

It will happen at a feast for one.

"But I can't go," said Loki. "Sigyn-"

"You are to do as I ask."

Loki furrowed his brow. "Father, please, Sigyn is in constant danger! Unless you have forgotten what Amora said."

"Amora will not enter Asgard."

"But she can and she will!"

"Sigyn will be protected at all times, I promise you."

"They are no match for her magic!"

"Brother," cut in Thor, "I am sure Sif and the Warriors Three will be happy to assist. There are other warriors around here as well, like Balder, Hod-"

"I don't need a list of warriors, Thor. I want to protect Sigyn. It is my duty and my wish."

Odin put a hand on Loki's shoulder. "Son, I will personally make sure that no harm will come to her. You are to travel to Midgard with Thor and that is final."

* * *

It was only a few days until Gwen's party and she certainly hadn't expected two Asgardians to randomly show up.

"Did Pepper actually invite Thor?" Gwen asked Tony as Thor and Loki were led into the Tower lobby by Fury who was looking rather stressed.

"Point Break!" exclaimed Tony.

Thor turned at the yell and spotted Gwen and Tony standing by the elevator where they had been waiting. Loki also looked over at them and Gwen could easily tell that he seriously didn't want to be there. Actually, he looked rather angry. An angry Loki in New York was not a good thing

Once Fury spotted Gwen and Tony, he strode over to them, his trench coat billowing behind him.

"I am not a god babysitter," he stated. "Someone find me one."

"Aw man," said Tony, "I'd love to but I have to make all of these repairs-"

"Stark, if you don't help me I will personally throw you off of this Tower without any chance of survival. Do you understand?"

"Well, I-"

"I said do you understand?"

Tony furrowed his brow. "Jeez, what's got your patch in a knot?"

"I'll help look after them," cut in Gwen.

Fury nodded which basically meant "thank you." He then turned in his heel and left the lobby. Where he was going, Gwen didn't know. All she knew was that Fury must've been poisoned or something. He could be mean, but he had never threatened to throw Tony off the Tower. Sure, he probably had thought about it, but he never said it out loud.

"What a ball of sunshine," Tony muttered as the elevator opened. "I call blondie, you get Rudolph."

"Wait, what?" asked Gwen.

"Hey I thought you and Loki were the best of friends."

"We're more like acquaintances. According to Natasha we owed each other a debt by saving each others lives but now we paid that debt."

"Well now you can be buddies." Tony turned his attention to Thor. "Hey big guy! Wanna see something cool?"

It was only moments later that Tony and Thor had disappeared in the elevator with the promise of pop tarts. Gwen wasn't quite sure what to do and Loki awkwardly examined his hands. With a deep breath, Gwen went up to Loki with a smile on her face.

"Hi," she greeted.

Loki took a regal stance, his hands clasped behind his back. "Hello."

"So...why are you guys here?"

"Father sent us."

Gwen quirked an eyebrow at his vague answer. "And why did he send you."

"A prophetess told him to."

"I see."

There was a slightly awkward silence as Gwen turned back to the elevator. She then returned her gaze to Loki.

"Come with me," she ordered.

Surprisingly, Loki followed her into the elevator. Gwen selected a floor and the box began to move.

"So...are you courting Sigyn yet?" asked Gwen.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the corners of Loki's lips twitch upward slightly.

"Yes," he answered happily.

"That's good. Does she make you happy?"

Loki didn't even hesitate. "Yes."

Gwen tried her best not to smile. It was hard to believe this was the man that was responsible for hundreds of deaths and had attempted to subjugate the human race. But it was a nice change.

"May I ask where you are taking me?" asked the god as the elevator doors slid open on the requested floor.

"Just a nice place to blow off some steam," Gwen answered.

The Avengers Tower gym sat before them. Even there, Gwen could hear strong punches being thrown at a punching bag and was wondering if brining Loki in here was a bad idea.

Despite second thoughts, Gwen stepped out and was followed by Loki. In front of them was cardio equipment that faced large televisions which were currently off. Gwen turned to the right where a boxing ring sat along with punching bags and weights. Steve stood within the punching bags sporting sweats and a damp face. He looked up at the sound of Gwen walking in and smiled at her. However, his face turned to shock when he saw Loki trail in behind her.

"Loki?" asked Steve with raised eyebrows. "What's he doing here?"

"He and Thor were sent here," answered Gwen, looking between the two men.

It seemed that her thought was not correct. Gwen had the idea that maybe Steve and Loki could at least be friendly with each other. If it weren't for Loki bringing Sigyn to Earth, Gwen would be dead. However, it seemed that Steve had forgotten that and was staring at Loki with a glare of hatred. When was he going to learn?

"I brought Loki here because I thought you two could try to get along," said Gwen a bit loudly as though this might sound like a good idea with more volume.

She looked at Loki who had his chin jutted out defiantly and then back at Steve who was standing stiff with a frown. It seemed the two would much rather have a staring contest than civil conversation. Or perhaps they were trying to see who was more manlier between them. Gwen shook her head at the last thought, but didn't think it was impossible.

"Mrs. Rogers? I - oh my."

Gwen turned at the sound of the voice and saw Amanda approaching. Actually, she seemed to had been approaching, but had suddenly stopped at the sight of Loki. Gwen was worried that Amanda would be afraid of Loki which was something he didn't need. However, the assistant cleared her throat and turned her attention to Gwen.

"Um, Mr. Stark would like to speak with you. He sent me because apparently JARVIS is giving him the silent treatment. I don't know why..."

"Thank you, Amanda," said Gwen, thankful she could escape the battle of testosterone that was taking place in the gym.

Gwen quickly walked over to the redhead without another look at either Steve or Loki and was followed by her. The two women entered the elevator and Amanda selected the proper floor.

"Was that Loki?" Amanda asked in a quiet voice as if Loki could possibly be listening.

"Yes, that was."

Amanda let out a low whistle. "That guy has fabulous cheek bones."

"Oh...I never really noticed."

"They're like razors for crying out loud! And I thought my cheekbones were prominent."

Gwen wasn't quite sure how one was supposed to respond to this.

"Uh, he has a girlfriend in case you're wondering."

Amanda nodded. "Figured. Anyone that attractive would. He reminds me of this actor I'm hopelessly in love with."

Once again, Gwen didn't know how to respond.

The rest of the elevator ride was silent. The doors eventually slid open to reveal Tony's main lab which was, as always, a mess. Tools laid around on white countertops and garbage littered the floor.

Sitting behind one counter was Tony, in his favorite Black Sabbath t-shirt, and Bruce, whose glasses were perched upon his nose. Gwen was happy to see that Bruce hadn't taken off, something she knew he wouldn't get away with. She was curious what happened after he walked away from her and Betty and the latter went after him, but didn't feel right asking about it. That was none of her business.

"Thanks, Ginger," said Tony as he looked up.

"Will that be all Mr. Stark?" asked Amanda.

"That will be all Miss Bartels."

And then Amanda nodded before retreating back into the elevator.

"So why's JARVIS giving you the silent treatment?" asked Gwen.

Bruce snorted in amusement. That was a good sign.

"I...may have tried programming some emotions into him and he took offense to something I said and now he's not talking."

"Well that was smart."

"I don't need your sass, Gwenie. Besides, I just wanted to tell you you're meeting with Xavier on Saturday."

"What? But that's the day before the party! Pepper will have me running around everywhere."

"It wasn't a question."

"What is he gonna talk about anyway?"

Tony shrugged as he looked down at a microscope. "Mutants, society, all that jazz."

"Fine, but be there with me."

"He won't hurt you," said Bruce, "he's in a wheelchair."

"And he's bald," added Tony.

"Or shaved."

"Are we really gonna do this again?"

"What does having no hair have to do with anything?" asked Gwen.

"Nothing," answered Tony, "I just wanted to point that out."

"Well, thank you for telling me. Now I have to get back to the gym to make sure Loki and Steve haven't killed each other."

Tony stifled a laugh. "You left those two alone?"

"I had to. Now if you'll excuse me-"

Gwen turned around to go back to the elevator, but stopped herself. She pivoted on her heel and turned back to the geniuses.

"Where's Thor?" she asked.

"Who?" replied Tony.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Mighty god of thunder?"

Both Tony and Bruce started darting their eyes around the lab.

"Oh for the love of - did you lose him?" asked Gwen.

"No," answered Tony with offense. "How can I lose buff man?"

Gwen rolled her eyes again as the two began searching around the lab for Thor. She then returned to the elevator and went back to the gym.

When the elevator door opened again, Gwen paused before going out as she heard Loki's voice in a tone that was more concerned than menacing.

"-have no idea what it mean, but I thought I ought to warn you."

"Well, thanks. Really."

Confused beyond belief, Gwen stepped out and found both Loki and Steve in the middle of a rational conversation. When Steve spotted Gwen, he straightened up.

"What did Tony want?" he asked as his wife approached.

"I have to meet with someone on Saturday," answered Gwen. She then turned to Loki. "Tony lost Thor. You might wanna go look for him."

Loki nodded and out of nowhere disappeared as though it were teleportation or Apparition.

"How could he lose Thor?" asked Steve as he began unraveling the tape on his hands.

Gwen shrugged. "I have no idea. So what were you two talking about?"

If there was anything Gwen learned about Steve in the time she knew him, it was that he was a horrible liar.

"We - uh - we were talking about - uh - magic."

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "Magic?"

Steve awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "...yeah."

"Do you realize how bad that lie is?"

"I do now."

Gwen sighed. "Why would you lie?"

"It's just...I don't want you to worry."

"If you're hiding something from me then I'm still going to worry."

Steve ran a hand through his hair like he always did when he wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Listen, I know you're stressed out about everything else that's going on, so please just forget about this."

Gwen didn't want to. Everything about this situation just screamed wrong. She knew she shouldn't let it go, but it was obvious Steve seriously wanted her too. But then again, that was unusual in itself.

"Okay," Gwen finally answered reluctantly.

Steve smiled at his triumph and wrapped Gwen up in his arms. After letting go, he leaned down and kissed her sweetly.

Steve backed up. "By the way, have you seen Loki's cheekbones?"

* * *

Phil Coulson had seen a lot of strange and unusual things in his life. He had seen his idol unfrozen from ice. He had seen a man in an iron suit and an ARC reactor in his chest. He had seen demi-gods and alien hostiles. He had seen Fury at six in the morning without any coffee. What he had never seen before was a man who had wings at his ankles and gills behind his ears. And that was only the beginning.

"You are Phil Coulson?" asked Namor as Phil walked up to the fish man in the common room of Atlantis.

"Yes," answered Phil, "and as I understand you are the leader of Atlantis."

Namor nodded. "Stephen said that you could help give my kingdom back to my people."

"Can you tell me how this happened?"

Namor took a deep breath, looking rather irritated with the question or perhaps with the answer.

"Many years ago, my people and I were living peacefully under the water. I was born to Princess Fen who is now deceased. My father, Leonard McKenzie was a human and was killed by Atlantean soldiers at their wedding ceremony. I eventually became king. Then we were discovered by some sort of agency. They managed to take over Atlantis with their weapons and brought it above ground. They experimented on us, but we revolted. The city was brought below sea level but we were forced out. Then you all came along."

Phil nodded. "I'll consult with Director Fury. We can assist you and your people with getting your city back."

Namor looked slightly shocked. "You will just give it back?"

"Of course. That is if we can count you as an ally."

Namor put a fist over his heart and bowed. "I agree to be your ally, Agent Coulson. I promise we will mean no harm to the surface world and neither will the Kraken."

Phil raised his eyebrows. "Kraken?"

"Yes. We have him under control."

"Oh...alright then."

Yeah, Phil had never encountered anything stranger than this.

* * *

**Okay so just out of curiosity, does anyone have any theories as to what that prophecy is about?**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Guess who's watched the Avengers a million times already? This kid. Sorry this chapter sucks. I did get a little inspiration, but this chapter just sucks. But it had to happen. I'll be more motivated after this one.**

**Silvertail of shoreclan: Nah, she's only having one baby.**

**LianaDare8: Yes, it does have to do with Gwen sorta hahaha.**

**The Red Dove: Hahahaha but you're right someone will die...maybe.**

**Itsgoose2u: As you should be hahahahaha. I know right? Too precious.**

**Arrows the Wolf: That's a really good point. I should've thought about that haha.**

**keanu. hixson: Thank you very much! I'm glad you think that way! And YES YES YES I will be writing that. I'm super stoked but it won't be for a bit yet.**

**RealMcCoy16: Thank you! :D**

**morbidly- funny: Those are both right haha.**

**Phantom- Demon: You'll just have to wait and see muahahahaha. Hahaha exactly what I thought.**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: People must think we're really weird oh my gosh. His cheekbones really are lovely. Yes, you still get Internet cookies. Its not really cheating when the author told you haha.**

**KrisEaly: Why thank you! That means a lot. And you are the closest with guesses!**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

On Saturday, Gwen and Steve were requested to be at the Avengers Mansion to help set up for the party. Actually, it was more like they were ordered to do so. And being ordered around by Pepper was not a fun thing. However, they were saved when people started arriving at the Mansion to help and then sleep over for the party the next day.

Those at the West Coast Tower, excluding Bobbi, arrived around noon. Clint was the first out of the Quinjet that landed on the roof of the Mansion, sporting a gray t-shirt, jeans and shades. Hank and Janet then came out, holding hands. Erik and Rhodey were last, discussing some sort of military issue.

Gwen was rather impressed by the roof as she greeted everyone alongside Pepper. It almost looked like a whole floor without a ceiling. A helicopter pad sat next to the elevator which was on the north side of the building. The rest of the roof stretched out before the elevator. There was a fire pit with chairs around it and a moderately sized bar. A swimming pool was on the other side of the roof which had lounge chairs bordering it.

"D'you know where Tasha is?" Clint asked Gwen when they greeted.

Gwen shrugged.

"She's with Matt in the den," answered Pepper.

Gwen couldn't help but notice some sort of emotion flash across Clint's face when he heard this. Perhaps it was jealousy?

"Who's Matt?" Clint asked a bit angrily.

"He's a new recruit," replied Gwen. "Well, sort of. I'm sure Natasha can fill you in. Fury tasked her to help him out and stuff."

"Oh."

Clint walked, actually sulked, to the elevator with a frown on his face. Gwen couldn't help but feel irritated with the archer as he was the one who married Bobbi. It wasn't like that forced Natasha to forfeit having any kind of relationship ever again. But then again, her and Matt were probably just friends.

Hank and Janet then came up, breaking Gwen from her thoughts.

"They're in his lab," said Pepper as Hank opened his mouth, "JARVIS will be able to point you in the right direction."

Hank nodded. "Let's go show them you wings, Janet."

"Wings?" repeated Gwen with wide eyes.

"It's a long story," responded Janet as the two walked to the now returned elevator.

"Pepper!"

Rhodey came up and hugged the strawberry blonde who hugged him back.

"Congratulations," he said to her. "I'm surprised Tony even wanted a kid."

"It was a bit of a surprise," replied Pepper with a smile.

"Well, I can't wait for a little Tony to be running around."

"Or a little Pepper," added Gwen.

"Or some bizarre mixture."

Rhodey then moved to Gwen and gave her a friendly hug.

"It's good to see you again," he said.

"Ditto."

"Jane should be in her lab," Pepper told the astrophysicist that was standing by, unsure what to do.

Erik nodded and headed towards the elevator, leaving Gwen, Pepper and Rhodey on the roof.

"Is Phil coming?" asked Gwen.

"He should be," answered Pepper, squinting her eyes at the sky as if looking for the Quinjet that Phil would be arriving in.

"Psst."

The three people standing there turned towards the sudden noise that occurred near the elevator and saw what appeared to be someone hiding inside. Gwen slowly stepped towards the elevator and out jumped someone wearing a Batman mask and a black cape. Gwen stumbled back in surprise.

"Oh my God, your face was priceless!"

"Tony!" scolded Pepper as the billionaire took off the mask and frowned.

"What?" he asked.

"I remember specifically telling you not to do that!"

"Really? Because I heard nothing like that."

"I'm sure JARVIS could back me up."

"JARVIS isn't talking to me, remember?"

"Look at you two," said Rhodey with a smile, "fighting like an old married couple."

"Rhodey, my man!" exclaimed Tony as he hugged his best friend in a manly way. "How're you doing?"

"Fine. You?"

"A bit restless-"

"You can leave anytime you want, Tony," stated Pepper.

"Well, that's not wrong."

"Anyway, we should probably get everyone together. We could really use some help setting up."

"On it," answered Gwen as she turned towards the elevator.

* * *

Clint managed to find his way to the large living room of the Mansion without JARVIS helping. However, when he saw Natasha sitting next to a guy he didn't know, laughing at something this stranger said, he couldn't help but feel weird inside. Clint wasn't sure what it was, but it felt wrong.

"Tasha?" he asked as he strode into the room.

The redhead looked up and smiled. "Clint!"

She then got up and approached Clint. The two friends embraced before Natasha pulled back.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," she said. "How're you and Bobbi?"

"We're good - why are you asking about Bobbi?"

Natasha shrugged. "I'm just curious."

"Well, uh, she's fine. Who's that?"

"Oh, Clint, this is Matt Murdock. Matt, this is Clint Barton."

The blind man stood up and reached his hand out towards Clint who was surprised at how he could know where the archer was.

"It's nice to meet you," said Matt as Clint accepted the handshake.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. So, uh, are you guys like, a couple?"

Clint's heart felt heavy as Natasha hesitated and looked at Matt. The answer certainly wasn't no.

"Well," said Natasha, "we've gone out a few times."

A few times?

Clint felt stupid. Why was he feeling this way? He was married. His heart belonged to Bobbi. It always had. He should be happy for Natasha, happy she wasn't showing anger towards Bobbi anymore. But why did the idea of Natasha being with someone cause such an uncomfortable feeling in Clint's stomach.

"That's great," he lied. "Really great."

"I'm glad you think so."

Clint gave the best fake smile he could. This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

Approximately an hour later, Pepper had everyone working on setting up. Well, almost everyone. Tony, Bruce, Hank and Erik had all stayed in the labs like hermits. Steve and Luke, who had come back from his mission, brought tables and other heavy objects up through the elevator as they were the strongest. Thor had been helping, but after Pepper found out she had Jane distract him. Loki was nowhere to be found and Clint insisted he was having some sort of pity party.

Another Quinjet arrived as Pepper ordered Gwen and Natasha to cover the pool. Out stepped Phil and Stephen. Gwen was immediately curious as to what was going on and it seemed she wasn't alone.

"Weren't you still in Atlantis?" asked Janet who was trying to get tape off of her fingers.

"Yes, but Phil seems to think I need more social interaction," answered Stephen with a sheepish smile.

"I thought this would be a good opportunity," added Phil.

"It is!" agreed Pepper. "Maybe you can help us too!"

It hadn't been hard for Pepper to convince Stephen to help who used his sorcery to finish setting up. It seemed it only took one morning to get everything ready. Gwen couldn't help but notice the Quinjet was still there, but said nothing of it as she and the others were forced to go to lunch. What she didn't know was that Phil and Stephen had gotten back on the Quinjet and headed for the Tower.

* * *

Saturday afternoons for Peter normally consisted of taking photographs around New York. However, on this particular day, he was simply taking a walk down his neighborhood. The house to the right of him had some weird looking gnomes, so he raised his camera and snapped a picture. After he was satisfied, he moved on.

"That's it, Harry! I'm done!"

"Oh, God," muttered Peter as he realized he was now eavesdropping on another argument between MJ and Harry.

Peter could see the red hair of MJ getting out of a car again down the street in front of her house. It almost looked like some sort of red fire that was following her.

"MJ!"

She stopped and flung around to look at Harry who had gotten out of the car and chased her, just like the last time.

"We're through, Harry," she said in a stern voice that sounded quite like a mother scolding her child.

"Please, give me another chance."

"Absolutely not. I've given you more chances than I can count. You don't deserve another one."

And with that, MJ spun on her heel and stormed inside her home. Peter saw Harry look down the street where Peter awkwardly stood. He knew he should probably walk away, but was unable to move his feet. Harry then stalked around his car, back to the driver's seat. His eyes stayed in Peter the whole time. He then got in and drove away, leaving Peter still glued to the ground.

* * *

Gwen and Steve hung around the Mansion a bit after lunch. They really didn't have anything else to do, so they thought they might as well enjoy the nice weather in the garden that Pepper had in the back. Apparently she didn't take care of it due to her being so busy. Tony had therefore installed some sort of mechanism under ground that managed to take care of it for her.

Both Gwen and Steve were simply laying in the grass next to each other, contently watching the clouds roll by. The sounds of birds chirping could be heard and a slight breeze blew over them. Gwen found herself inching closer to Steve until she rested her head on his chest. The soldier then put his arm around her to hold her closer.

"Y'know, we should have a party for your birthday, too," muttered Gwen.

"Isn't there already a party?" Steve responded.

"Well, I mean aside from the Fourth of July. By the way, what are the chances Captain America's born on Independence Day?"

"What are the chances that Captain America's parents aren't American?"

Gwen laughed and sat up so she could turn around and kiss him. Steve happily kissed back and she could just barely feel his heart speed up just as hers did. Knowing that she had the power to make his heart race made her feel rather good about herself.

Steve then turned them over so that Gwen was on her back and playfully kissed the corner of her mouth as she tried not to laugh, but failed.

"Get off Gwenie, old man."

Gwen heard Steve groan in annoyance as he reluctantly sat up. Gwen did the same and looked behind them from where the voice came from. Tony stood there, his hands in his pockets and a neutral expression on his face.

"Yes, Tony?" asked Gwen.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Yes, Tony? _Yes, Tony_?"

"That's what I said."

"Exactly. I repeated it because I can't believe you forgot."

"Forgot what?"

Tony face palmed. "Meeting with Xavier this afternoon!"

Realizing she truly did forget, Gwen shot up with an apology to Steve and ran up to Tony who she followed back inside the Mansion. He took her through different hallways until they reached an office like room. There was a desk on the far side with a window behind it. Bookshelves lined either side of the room. Sitting by the desk was a bald man in a wheelchair wearing a nice dark gray suit with a black tie. Gwen assumed this must be Charles Xavier. He smiled at her as she and Tony walked in.

"Professor," said Tony, "meet Gwendolyn Rogers. Gwenie, meet Charles Xavier."

Gwen gave a polite smile as she walked over to Xavier. She stretched out her hand and he accepted your handshake.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Rogers," said Xavier. "Mr. Stark has told me a lot about you. Not that he really needs to."

Gwen furrowed her brow and sat down in the chair Tony brought over for her.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

Xavier gave a friendly smile. "I don't need Mr. Stark to brag about you to know about you."

"How much do you know?"

"Everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

In shock, Gwen sat back in her chair as it creaked. How could he know everything? But then again, hadn't Tony said Xavier was some type of mutant?

"I'm a telepath, to be specific," said Xavier, "but yes, I am a mutant. Just as you are. The reason you have that shield around your brain is not because of an accident. It is because you were simply born with it as I was born with my powers."

"Are - are there more mutants out there?"

Xavier nodded. "There are many. I have a device, called Cerebro, that can find them."

"That's incredible. But what do you want me for?"

"The reason I contacted Mr. Stark was because I wish to help mutants. Obviously there are mutants out there that wish to cause damage and harm, but there are mutants, like you, that do good. And many are in hiding because they are regarded as freaks. I was hoping that Mr. Stark could assist me with my school."

"School?"

"A school for mutants. A school where they aren't ridiculed and are free to learn how to control their gifts in a safe environment."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Wow, that's - wow. I wish there had been something like that when I was young. But why ask Tony? He wasn't born with an ARC reactor in his chest."

"I'm rich," stated Tony with a shrug.

"Exactly," agreed Xavier. "The reason I was interested in talking to you was because I would like your help."

"Making the school?"

"No, making mutants reveal themselves. I believe if there was someone out there that came out as a mutant, others would follow."

"I - I guess I could."

"If you feel uncomfortable with it, you don't have to."

"No, no it's fine. I guess I'm just shocked. Does Fury know about this."

"Yeah...no," said Tony. "I don't want him getting his hands on Cerebro. Or mutants. Or anything really. The guy's been super moody lately. It must be that time of the month."

Gwen ignored Tony's last sentence and turned back to Xavier.

"I'll do it," she said confidently. "I'd be happy to help."

Xavier smiled and shook her hand again. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Rogers."

"Call me Gwendolyn."

"Of course."

"You're free to go suck face with husband some more, now," cut in Tony.

Gwen's cheeks turned slightly pink as she gave a smile and a nod to Xavier before heading out of the room and back to the garden where Steve was still laying.

"Hey," she said as she laid down next to him again.

"Is Tony around?" he asked.

"No, why?"

Steve once again kissed her like he had before they had been interrupted.

"Oh, that's why."

* * *

New York was full of tall buildings. The city was famous for it. It was the greatest nightmare for those scared of heights. One of the most famous, of course, was the Empire State Building. And at the moment, the assassin, Rumlow, was standing on top of it.

There was barely anyone around as he raised a scope to his eye. It was an exact replica of the one on his sniper rifle so he could see where the best place to make the kill would be. And it seemed this was the spot. The scope was better than any weapons manufacturer had to offer and could see detail from a distance beautifully. Rumlow could easily make out the roof of the Avengers Mansion from where he stood. The trees were slightly in the way, but he knew he could do it.

After careful spying, Rumlow had realized that a party was taking place on that roof the next day and that his target would be there. He could already smell the money Schmidt was going to pay him.

Only one more day. One more day and Captain America would be dead.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Woo an update. I have nothing else to say except IT'S OCTOBER THIRD.**

**Arrows the Wolf: Hahaha I'm glad you found it funny.**

**LianaDare8: Hahaha I know right? Goodness I can't wait either. Who doesn't love the F4?**

**The Red Dove: Or can he? Hahaha Kenny! Never gets old.**

**KrisEaly: You'll have to read and see! That's kind of like me and angst haha.**

**Phantom-Demon: I know right? I guess you'll have to read and find out muahahahaha.**

**Itsgoose2u: Don't be sorry haha. I totally understand. I'd be crying over the idea of him dying.**

**Abbie: Thank you very much! I even surprise myself with connections sometimes haha.**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: I think he's liking fondue. Did I really just say that? I kind of ship them too...but not as much as bucky/natasha. Them ftw.**

**Guest: Wow, thank you! And don't worry, I'm not offended at all. I'm glad you told me. I'll make sure to work on all of that. As for the Civil War, basically it won't be in Gwen's story, but in her universe kind of thing. Like she's still a main character, but it'll revolve around someone very close to her. And it'll be many years in the future, giving Tony time to become a bit of a jerk.**

**XxXWolfDemonKimaXxX: Thank you very much! Don't worry, they'll have kids. Just not yet. But they will.**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

The day of Gwen's birthday and the party had arrived. She woke up snuggled next to Steve who had his arms around her. In all honesty, she didn't want to move. The idea of going to party sounded torturous if it meant leaving the warm comfort of their bed.

Gwen stirred slightly and froze when she realized she must have woken up Steve.

"Happy birthday, gorgeous," she heard him mutter.

Gwen shifted so that she could see him and found that he had a smile on his lips. Gwen smiled back as he lifted a hand and pushed a blonde curl behind her ear. He let his palm rest on her cheek and stroked her skin with his thumb. Gwen couldn't remember the last time the two of them had been able to just enjoy time alone. It felt good, real good.

"Thank you," Gwen finally answered, her voice incredibly soft.

"You stay there," said Steve as he kissed her forehead and got up. "I'm making you breakfast."

Gwen smiled widely as Steve left the room. She laid back on the bed and let out a deep breath. This whole past week had been so incredibly stressful that she couldn't believe that only a week ago Bruce had called saying that Hank had shrunk down. In this time she had investigated Oscorp with Peter, witnessed the Hulk being unleashed in the small confinement of a lab and met a telepath. But then again, this was typical for a SHIELD agent.

As Gwen just relaxed, she could hear noises from the kitchen and could eventually smell the food Steve was making. It actually smelled pretty good. Perhaps he wasn't as bad of a cook as he always said he was.

It only felt like a few minutes later when Steve came in holding a tray.

"You didn't have to bring it to me!" exclaimed Gwen, flattered by the action.

"No, I did," argued Steve as he set the tray down on Gwen's lap.

She looked down at the tray and felt like she was going to start drooling at the sight and smell. There was toast, bacon, scrambled eggs and milk. It all looked thoroughly delicious and Gwen started eating immediately while Steve nibbled on the food he made for himself.

"This is fantastic," Gwen managed to say while stuffing her mouth with food.

Steve smiled. "I'm glad."

"I didn't know you were such a good cook."

"I had to be after my mom died. Bu - my friend couldn't cook that well."

Gwen was too immersed in the meal that she didn't notice Steve's slip up and how he became rather quiet afterwards. She, however, kept going on about how he was cooking everything from then on seeing as she had a tendency to burn things that were deemed unburnable.

After breakfast was done, Steve took the tray back into the kitchen while Gwen took a long shower. Once she was finished, she stepped out and got into a nice fluffy robe. Steve took a shower after her and she got dressed in a Batman t-shirt and rolled up blue jeans. She dried her hair and let her curls fall down to her shoulders. She had Steve wear a Superman t-shirt she got him as out of all of the DC Comics characters, he was most like Clark Kent just as Tony was quite like Bruce Wayne.

After finishing up, Gwen went out into the kitchen where Steve was nervously waiting. It took a moment for her to take in the scene before her. A smile of awe creeped onto her lips.

The whole kitchen and dining area were decorated. Cray paper of all different colors hung from lights, pictures and other objects. They were cut into cool looking shapes and even had unique designs drawn on them. Colorful balloons were blown up and were taped to the cray paper. On the counter was a vase filled with beautiful, various flowers. Three boxes sat beside it that were wrapped up in purple wrapping paper.

"I know it's not much," said Steve with a sheepish smile, "but I thought you might appreciate a little decoration."

Gwen's smile widened as she stepped up to him and threw her arms around his neck. She then planted a hungry kiss on his lips which he seems slightly surprised by. However, after a slight hesitation, he kissed back and moved his arms around Gwen's waist. The two were breathing heavily and smiling when they broke apart.

"It's perfect," replied Gwen.

It was true. It was perfect. She didn't care if she was having a party, well, really Pepper was having a party, but the fact that Steve put all of this together for her meant more than she could put into words.

"Thank you," Gwen added. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Happy birthday, sweetheart."

* * *

Gwen and Steve took the latter's motorcycle to the Mansion. Gwen was okay with it as the weather was much nicer than all the other times they could've ridden it. Thankfully she wasn't frightened of motorcycles, but she was still much more comfortable with a car.

Before they had left, Gwen insisted on opening her presents from Steve before the party, but Steve had disagreed. He wanted her to open them at the end of the day so they wouldn't have to rush. It only made Gwen more curious as to what could be in them.

When they got there, they got off the motorcycle and entered the Mansion. JARVIS didn't need to tell them to head up to the roof as they already knew that's where the party was. Gwen was nervous about the whole thing and it seemed Steve could tell, so he grabbed her hand while they took the elevator up and gave it a squeeze.

"Everything'll be fine," he muttered.

"You're not the one who'll be the center of attention," retorted Gwen.

Steve sighed and didn't respond. It was a lost battle already.

It seemed everyone was already there. The science bros, now including Erik, Rhodey and Stephen, were together at the bar while their significant others chatted along with Jane nearby. Surprisingly, Peter was even there. Natasha sat on a lounge chair with Matt while Clint sat with his legs hanging off the edge of the roof. It was a good thing that Tony had created some type of force field that would make it so no one could fall off the roof and die. Darcy and Daisy were trying to teach Thor about Aquaman while Luke insisted no one was going throw Thor in the pool and Loki was sulking in the shadows. Amanda was off to the side, making a phone call. Gwen even saw Phil talking with someone that she didn't recognize.

Great, she thought bitterly, someone I don't know.

"Gwendolyn!"

Pepper was already running towards Gwen and fully able to as she was now wearing tennis shoes instead of heels. She wore a loose button down blue top and denim shorts, looking very casual compared to her normal formal wear.

"Happy birthday," said the strawberry blonde as she pulled Gwen into a hug.

"Thanks," muttered Gwen in response.

Pepper turned to Steve with a glare. "You're late."

Steve looked slightly terrified under Pepper's gaze and raised his hands in surrender. Gwen really couldn't blame him. It was never fun to be on Pepper's bad side, even if it was for a minute.

A smile returned to Pepper's face as she grabbed Gwen's arm and started leading her to a long white table that they had set up the day before. It was no longer empty and was filled with snacks, presents and a three layer cake that was designed with American pride in mind. The top layer looked just like Steve's shield and the rest was designed with red, white, and blue. Twenty-five striped candles were placed along the layers.

"Wow," commented Gwen, "that looks incredible."

"And expensive."

Gwen looked up at the new voice and found Tony once again wearing a Batman mask and black cape. He had his fists on his hips as if trying to say, "Justice."

"Happy birthday, buttercup," he continued as he hugged Gwen like Pepper did. If the day kept going like this she was going to need another shower.

"Thanks, Tony."

"No, not Tony. Batman." While saying the last word, Tony used a deep voice to mimic Christian Bale. It was actually pretty spot on.

"I'm not calling you Batman," argued Gwen.

"Don't argue with me."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Tony smiled and sprinting back to his genius buddies, leaping onto Peter's back. Gwen turned away when she heard commotion, not wanting to see what Tony had caused.

"How much has he had to drink already?" asked Gwen.

"Perhaps a bit too much," answered Pepper. "Excuse me."

Pepper left Gwen and headed over to Tony and the others. Before Gwen could even turn around, she was approached by Thor.

"Congratulations on another year of life, Lady Gwendolyn," he said. "I hope the Norns give you many more."

"Thanks..." replied Gwen, unsure of who the Norns were. She really needed to study some Norse Mythology.

"I apologize for my brother," added Thor, glancing over to the depressed looking Loki. "He wishes to be with Sigyn."

"Understandable," answered Gwen. "Isn't she in danger or something?"

"Indeed. He fears the worst. I would be in the same state would it be Jane. However, Sigyn is in safe hands as long as she is in Asgard."

"Then he should have nothing to worry about, right?"

"It would appear so. But Amora is incredibly talented at magic. Her and Loki were always competing as children. But her use of Dark Magic corrupts her. 'Tis why she should remain out of Asgard."

"Do you guys know what she's up to? I mean, at SHIELD we're mainly focusing on the AIM threat and haven't gotten any new information about her."

Thor shook his head. "Heimdall is unable to see her. I fear what she plans for Asgard and for Sigyn should she get hold of her."

"What does Amora have against Sigyn?"

Thor looked over at Loki again who had conjured up a book, most likely from Asgard, and had begun reading.

"Sif had always said that Amora wished to be betrothed to Loki. It would only be a step towards power. Had she been in Asgard when I was banished, she could had easily manipulated Loki in his emotionally unstable state into making her his wife and thus making her Queen."

"So she's jealous?"

"Yes. But it is not love that Amora seeks."

"If she wanted power, why not go for you? You're the oldest, right?"

Thor took a deep breath. "Yes, but I am not clever or cunning like my brother. The two of them would have been a very powerful royal couple. And when Loki is confused and misguided..."

"He might just try to subjugate the human race," finished Gwen.

"Well, yes."

"Huh."

"Okay everyone!" called Pepper's voice. "Gwendolyn is going to open presents now!"

That had to be the worst part of the day so far. She was the center of everyone's attention and she could feel all of their eyes on her. It was horrible for Gwen.

Daisy and Darcy got Gwen a Catwoman costume and said that Steve needed a Batman one for something that Gwen didn't let them finish. Thor, and apparently Loki as well. gave her grapes and a shiny Midgardian apple as that was normally given at birthday's in Asgard, except the apple was normally from a woman named Idunn. Tony, Bruce, Hank, Erik, Stephen and Peter all chipped together to make a special battery charm bracelet to go along with her energy manipulating powers. Pepper, Jane, Betty and Janet gave Gwen a day at some big spa which she probably wouldn't do, but appreciated it anyway. Maybe she'd need it one day. Luke gave her a very rare Batman comic and Clint gave her a toy bow and arrow set which he found to be hilarious. Phil gave her an actual taser and a full season of _Supernanny_ with a note that read "Just in case." Tony groaned with exaggeration. Rhodey's present was a video tape of Tony during a spring break which also made Tony groan. Finally, Natasha gave her a book on self-defense.

"Where's Steve's present?" asked Janet once Gwen was done and wrapping paper was thrown everywhere.

"It's at home," answered Steve.

Daisy and Darcy started giggling like young schoolgirls, causing the awkwardness in both Gwen and Steve to show as their cheeks flushed. Steve was so flustered that he didn't even bother correcting himself.

Next the cake was lit and everyone sang happy birthday. Gwen felt very super awkward and was irritated at the fact this wasn't an awkward situation that one could just take out their phone and fake texting. Tony sang the loudest and was the last one left singing at the end. Gwen blew out the candles and, coincidently, missed one.

"Gwendolyn has a boyfriend!" shouted Darcy.

Steve raised his eyebrows.

"I mean, Gwendolyn has a husband!"

Everyone got a piece and went back to conversing with one another.

Gwen eventually made her way over to Phil and the strange woman. Now getting a closer look, the stranger had shoulder length brown hair and light blue eyes. She wore a t-shirt that read, "There's always room for more cello," along with athletic shorts.

"Happy birthday, Agent Rogers," said Phil rather formally, but he still offered a smile.

"Thanks," answered Gwen. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Fury's out and Hill allowed me time off to visit."

"Why's Fury out?"

Phil shrugged. "He didn't say."

Before Gwen could contemplate, the woman cleared her throat a bit awkwardly.

"Oh!" exclaimed Phil. "Agent Rogers, this is Molly Mancl, my girlfriend. Molly, this is Gwendolyn Rogers, Captain Rogers' wife."

Gwen suddenly made the connection with the cello shirt and felt like she could've slapped herself.

"It's nice to meet you, Molly," said Gwen, offering her hand.

"Ditto," answered Molly, accepting the handshake.

"What brings you here?"

"Oh, I'm trying out for the New York Philharmonic. Phil decided to invite me along."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Wow, that's cool. I wish I had kept playing the violin."

"How long did you play?"

"For four years. I gave it up because I couldn't find time to practice."

"That's too bad. I have some friends that I perform with in a quartet. Our first violinist is leaving so we're searching for a new one."

"I'm sorry."

Molly smiled. "No, it's not your fault. I'm sure we'll find someone."

The two women then looked over at the quiet Phil to see him dreamily staring at Steve who was in a deep conversation with Tony whose Batman mask was taken off. The two looked rather serious which raised some concern within Gwen. When the two of them were having a serious conversation, it was never good.

"I'm assuming that's your husband?" asked Molly with an unimpressed tone.

Gwen nodded. "The one and only."

Molly sighed. "I swear, I bet Phil would leave me for Stars and Stripes in a heartbeat."

Gwen choked on a laugh as Phil continued to ignore the conversation and stare at his idol.

"Trust me," said Gwen, "Steve isn't going anywhere."

Molly took Phil's hand in hers and he finally turned back.

"What?" he asked, noticing his girlfriend's glare.

Gwen decided this was her cue to walk away. She took a sip from a glass of water she acquired as she began to make her way to Steve and Tony in hopes of finding out what they were discussing. Perhaps it had to do with what Loki had talked to Steve about. But before she could make it over, she was approached by someone.

"Uh, Gwendolyn?"

Gwen turned to see Peter standing beside her, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"I was - I was wondering if maybe you could, uh, give me some advice."

Gwen nodded, curious as go what Peter wanted.

"Well, um, there's this girl and she -"

"Do you like her?"

"W - what?"

"Do you have a crush on her?"

"I don't really know. It's just that, like, her boyfriend just broke up with her and I - well I don't know what to say."

Gwen thought for a moment, moving her glass around as she did, swishing the water around.

"I guess just talk to her," she answered finally. "Become good friends first before you ask her out."

"I - I didn't say - I'm not -"

"It's okay, Peter. It'll be fine."

"But I -"

Out of nowhere, a bang rang out in the air and Gwen's heart stopped as she turned around and saw the sight before her. She dropped her glass and it shattered on the ground.

Steve was falling to the floor.

He had been shot.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**I'm sorry it took me a while to post this. My only excuse is a mixture of school and Resident Evil 6. Anyway...**

**LiebenMadchan: I'm sorry! Hopefully the end of this chapter will make you happy.**

**LianaDare8: Haha perhaps that's what happened...**

**Guest: Haha I am quite evil. Ah, I see. I was noticing that too. It gets annoying when ninety percent of the fics out there involve someone always getting hurt or kidnapped. And don't worry, I totally understood that. I'm really glad you think so! I can't wait to write it since its my favorite part of Marvel history despite how sad it is. I'm hoping to at least give Tony good reason to be a jerk...hopefully.**

**Itsgoose2u: Haha I'd be so mad at me if I were a reader messing with those babies like that. I thought that was sweet too. Too bad they didn't get to finish it. Sad face.**

**The Red Dove: Perhaps Kenny can take the bullet or something. No one will mind.**

**Arrows the Wolf: STEVE YOU WILL BE AVENGED.**

**XxXWolfDemonKimaXxX: Don't worry, it's just an evil cliffhanger.**

**KrisEaly: Thank you! I really enjoy having my favorites together too. However, my absolute favorite is Deadpool and he's not there...yet.**

**Phantom-Demon: I guess Tony wasn't prepared for AIM/HYDRA technology.**

**BarronsBaubles: Sorry it took so long!**

**MusicManiacGirl: I know right? Especially a party you didn't want to have in the first place.**

**WitAngerandBravery: That's an interesting idea. And I'm glad! I love them too.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

"Steve!"

Gwen's strangled cry seemed to get people in motion. A bunch of people surrounded him as Tony pulled her away from scene.

"No!" she yelled, fighting against him as he led her to the elevator. "Let me go!"

"Gwendolyn," said Tony sternly, a serious look upon his face, "I want you inside now."

"My husband just got shot!"

"I see that, but you could be the next target."

"No!"

She saw Tony nod at some other people while she continued to struggle. Tony left her and she felt even stronger arms grab her. She turned to see both Thor and Loki bringing her to the elevator.

"Gwendolyn," said Loki, no longer sulking, "you must move."

"Steve's shot!"

"Lady Gwendolyn, you must come with us," ordered Thor.

Gwen whimpered as the Norse gods nearly shoved her into the elevator. She could see Pepper dialing on a phone and the shocked faces of everyone around there. Phil looked like he was going to explode.

Then the doors closed as JARVIS took them from the roof. Gwen didn't say anything as both Thor and Loki kept their grip on her arms to keep her from struggling. The doors opened after a few seconds and they were looking at the living room. The fireplace was unlit and an air freshener went off somewhere. Thor went out first, looking ready for anything that could come at them. Loki followed and the two dragged Gwen out who couldn't remember how to move. They took her to the sunken in center of the room and sat her on the rounded couch. She was pushed down and stared forward trying to stop her racing heart.

Loki started pacing impatiently which seemed to be a bad habit of his while Thor wandered around aimlessly. Gwen picked up her legs and wrapped her arms around them, hugging them close to her. Her heart wasn't slowing down at all as her mind began to wander. Was Steve alright? Was someone coming after her? Can they save Steve? Gwen buried her face in her knees as she thought about the worst case scenario. He couldn't be dead, could he? He was a super soldier, bullets should mean nothing.

It felt like ages before Gwen heard the elevator door open. In it was Tony. Just Tony. No Steve. She felt stupid, if Steve was shot he'd be recovering. But the look on Tony's fact didn't help Gwen's paranoia.

She watched as he stepped out and made his way towards her. He didn't even offer her a smile. He simply sat down next to her and took a deep breath as both Loki and Thor watched anxiously.

"Gwendolyn," began Tony in a very sober voice, "the medical team took him, but - but they radioed us."

Gwen remained silent, hoping this was just one of Tony's sick jokes.

"He's gone."

The words didn't register in Gwen's mind right away. What did that mean? Did it mean he just wasn't at the Mansion anymore? Did that mean he wasn't in the city, the state? Then Gwen remembered the real meaning of that statement. Her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach and she felt like she'd throw it up. Her eyes were watering before she knew it and Tony wrapped her into his arms as the sobs started.

"B - but he can't be!" she blubbered.

"I'm sorry, Gwendolyn."

"But he's a super soldier!"

"I know, I know."

Gwen couldn't say anymore. She couldn't pronounce anything more than a stutter.

It took a while for Gwen to calm down. In this time Tony had told the Norse gods that they could leave. Gwen was safe in the Mansion. Gwen knew Tony was comforting her because he had done this before. With each of her parents' deaths he was there to make her feel better. She was one of his favorite employees and he knew what it was like to lose the people that raised you. Even if Tony's dad had been a jerk to him.

Eventually, Gwen's sobbing slowed down. She was simply trying her best not to cry once she realized that Tony's shirt was now full of her tears.

"I'm sorry," she muttered as she leaned back and sniffed her nose.

Tony gave a small smile. "It's fine, buttercup. I've got plenty more."

Tony got Gwen a box of Kleenex which she used about half of.

"I'm just gonna go check on everyone else, okay?" asked the billionaire as if talking to a young child.

Gwen simply nodded and leaned back into the couch. She picked up a fluffy golden colored pillow and hugged it to her chest. She let out a long breath in an attempt to slow her still racing heart. She couldn't believe anything that just happened. Steve had been shot. Just shot. She was still in disbelief that he could be dead. It was supposed to be impossible. He crashed a plane into the Arctic and froze for seventy years for crying out loud. A simple shot couldn't have killed him.

However, when Gwen thought about how serious Tony's face was, she felt the lump in her throat become unbearable and tears spilt over again. She felt sick to her stomach thinking about Steve being dead.

Within the next hour, Tony came back, but this time with Pepper. She sat with Gwen, knowing that it was the CEO who could comfort her best. Tony reported that both Natasha and Peter had seen where the shot had come from. Apparently the gun that was used made a bright light when it shot. So, Peter took off his clothes to reveal his red and blue suit and took off via his web shooters and Natasha ran down to one of Tony's fastest cars and sped off. Together they managed to find the person who had made the shot.

"What are they gonna do now?" asked Gwen in a small voice.

"Well," answered Tony, "Coulson left and is probably gonna interrogate him. Or maybe another SHIELD agent will."

Gwen nodded and went back to tracing the pattern on the pillow with her index finger. Pepper typed away on a laptop, looking very anxious.

Tony came over next to Gwen and pulled her to him. She bit her lip to avoid crying anymore. She knew she had to let it out eventually, but she always felt uncomfortable crying in front of people. However, there was no denying that she felt sick to her stomach. She felt weak for feeling this way, but there was no stopping it. It was the same feeling she had when her parents died. All she wanted to do was crawl under a blanket at stay there for days. But she didn't have days. She didn't even know what was going to happen now.

* * *

Aboard the Helicarrier, Phil and Natasha stood next to each other, looking through a one-way mirror as their suspect sat with content in the interrogation room. The suspect hadn't told them his name and was remaining quiet. It wasn't like he needed a lawyer or anything.

Clint had been sent out to investigate where the suspect had been. Natasha and Peter had found him in the Empire State Building and most likely left his weapon there as he had been unarmed.

The suspect's hands were bound thing his back and he looked around the room as if he was bored and had gone through this before. Or perhaps he was just good at acting and was actually very nervous.

"Director Fury wants him interrogated," came a voice that approached Natasha and Phil.

The two agents turned to see Maria Hill striding up to them, her dark hair pulled back into a bun and her SHIELD uniform wrinkle free.

"Fury's back?" asked Natasha with a quirked eyebrow.

Maria nodded. "He wants Agent Coulson to do it."

The two women looked at the said man who was back to staring at the suspect. His face showed no expression, but both agents knew on the inside he was fuming. And of all people to interrogate Captain America's murderer, it was Phil Coulson.

Phil walked into the room and stood across from the suspect. The man watched him, still looking bored. Phil put his hands in his front pockets and continued to stare him down.

"Do you have any idea of what you just did?" asked Phil calmly.

"I did my job," answered the suspect.

"Then someone hired you?"

The suspect remained quiet.

"We could just stare at each other all day, but I don't have time for that. I want to know who you're working for and I want to know now."

The suspect didn't say a word.

"That's alright. We'll find out eventually. Because we're SHIELD and that's what we do."

Phil waited for a moment before turning around to leave. However, he was stopped.

"You people have no idea of what's coming," said the suspect. "And I have no intention of getting involved."

Phil turned back around. "Well, you better start getting ready because you're not going anywhere."

Giving the suspect no chance of speaking again, Phil quickly exited the interrogation room. He was nearly pounced on by Maria and Natasha immediately.

"You were supposed to get information, Coulson," stated Maria sternly.

Phil didn't answer as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number as he began walking away. The last words that Natasha and Maria managed to hear was, "Mom? I need to tell you something."

* * *

The rest of the day was long and agonizing. Pepper suggested that Gwen stay at the Mansion just in case someone was looking for her. In all honesty, Gwen didn't want to go home just yet. She wanted to pretend that Steve was on some sort of mission and she was staying at the Mansion because he was worried about her being alone. He was always overprotective.

A report came back that apparently stated that the bullet that hit Steve had possibly release some sort of toxin that his super soldier body couldn't do anything against. Gwen really didn't want to hear anything more, so she left all those talking in the living room and wandered through the Mansion.

The party had been cleaned up by everyone else and all SHIELD agents were now on the Helicarrier. Peter went home and Thor and Loki were essentially guarding the Mansion. Pepper got a phone call from Natasha saying he wanted someone to repot Steve's death to the public and he wanted Tony to do it. Gwen didn't understand why Fury wanted this, but apparently it was just to tell the world, and AIM who were most likely the reason of the assassination, that Captain America was dead. And so Pepper was busy teaching Amanda how to call a press conference.

Gwen found herself dragging her feet through the halls of the building. She knew that most of the inhabitants were talking in the living room while some were occupying their time with other things. She eventually came across the bedroom Pepper said she could stay in and went inside. Gwen then shut the door behind her and locked it.

The bedroom was rather cozy and large. The floor was carpeted and multicolored, though the most prominent color was a light tan. The walls were a light green color and the ceiling a darker green. A king size bed sat on the right side of the room and across the room from it was a moderately sized entertainment center with a flatscreen television on the top. A dresser and mirror was next to it. Windows were across the room from the door with green drapes and white blinds. To the left of the bed was a door that appeared to lead into a private bathroom.

Gwen took a deep breath as she pulled her shoes off and threw them on the bed. She then wandered into the bathroom which was just as lovely as the room before it.

The floor was white tiles and so were the walls. A jacuzzi tub sat next to a glass shower which were across from a toilet and a counter with a sink that sat underneath a long mirror. Gwen found a towel and a robe that Pepper must have placed inside the room before stripping her clothes off and starting up the shower. Once the water was a comfortable temperature, she carefully stepped inside.

All in all, this day sucked.

There were, of course, many other words to describe it, but Gwen was too grief-stricken to bother thinking of them. She was half expecting to suddenly wake up and find herself next to Steve in their bed and get up to get ready for the party. In all honesty, she was even hoping this would happen despite how unlikely it was.

Gwen felt numb as she let the warm water run down her body. It didn't calm her like she had wanted it to. Instead her throat burned as she held back a fresh wave of sobs that threatened to come. She really hated crying. But now that she was alone, she didn't need to worry about people feeling bad for her. She finally had some peace.

After she finished, she dried off with the towel and then wrapped the robe around her. She found that Pepper had also placed some pajamas in the dresser which Gwen took out and slipped into. She then sat on the bed and debated whether or not to try to sleep. She had no will to, but she knew she had to at some point. But she hadn't sleep without Steve next to her in such a long time. It was going to be hard, that was for sure.

Gwen laid down on the bed and let her head fall on a soft pillow. She let out a long breath and closed her eyes.

Yeah, today sucked.

* * *

Fury stood in a small recovery room on the Helicarrier. The only things inside was a bed and a man on top of it. This day had been far too long in Fury's opinion. He had been dealing with a personal issue when he got a call saying that Steve had been shot, but was alive. Apparently he had been shot in the shoulder. Had he been an inch more to the left, he probably would've gotten shot in the head.

With a sigh, Fury ran a hand over his shiny head and let out a deep breath. He wasn't sure if the decision he made was the right one, but it was the only logical one. He knew Gwen was going to suffer until the truth was revealed. Hell, he knew a lot of people were going to suffer. But he had to do it. He didn't care if anyone hated him for it. Once they realized why he kept Steve's survival a secret, they would understand. Fury could only hope.

And so with that final thought, Fury pivoted on the heel of his boot and left the sleeping Steve behind.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Hey everyone. **

**So I had trouble writing this chapter because I wanted to have it be slightly similar to how it was in the comic, but I obviously couldn't make everything the same like have it in D.C. or have it be the same kind of funeral a president gets. So I hope you guys are okay with how I did it. **

**MysticRyter: That's quite alright. I hope everything gets better!**

**XxXWolfDemonKimaXxX: I feel bad for her too...especially because the author of her life is horribly evil.**

**LianaDare8: Hahah there was no way I could.**

**Hanna: I am quite evil haha. Actually, I was really hoping to fit that into the storyline somewhere with it being in Iron Man 3 and all. I'm happy to get reviews from you!**

**KrisEaly: Haha I amaze myself sometimes too. One time an author messaged me to keep quiet 'cause I guessed something big right. Trust me, Gwen's gonna get angry. And so are some other people. **

**Of-Thieves-and-Liars: Hahaha I'm glad you don't have to use that rant.**

**The Red Dove: Well that's good haha I wouldn't want you hating me.**

**Silvertail of shoreclan: I know, but maybe next chapter he won't be.**

**Arrows the Wolf: Hahah feel free to. Just do it before Gwen does.**

**Phantom-Demon: Exactly! Especially when you shouldn't make Gwen super duper angry. I would cry too. Like I'm not even upset that I did this because I know he's fine.**

**BarronsBaubles: I know! I feel horrible for doing this to her.**

**Loulyhoot: Thank you! I'm happy to know I can get that kind of reaction out of a reader.**

**Itsgoose2u: Oh man, just you wait until you read this chapter then. Feels galore.**

**stinkysox: Thank you! Cliffhangers are my specialty. Yay for reviews!**

**FMAandWolf'sRain: Thank you very much! I have actually...several times haha. I love Piers too. And I immediately started shipping Sherry and Jake together the moment I saw them. Fangirl problems.**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: DON'T CRY MY CHILD. Well my character's child's best friend, same difference. At least Steve's not being an idiot this time.**

**Nicole Glimmer: Hahah maybe in the end you'll like him. And thank you!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Gwen felt horrible that night. She was greatful that Pepper had allowed her to stay at the Mansion instead of going back home. She'd see Steve's clothes and smell his scent. There'd be his side of the bed, empty, and a reminder that it'd stay that way forever. She'd find his writing on various notes laying around and see the flowers he had recently gotten her. The presents he had bought her would be sitting on the counter and she'd never have the courage to open them.

Gwen clutched the sheets of the bed to her and buried her face in the pillow as she cried. She tried her best to muffle the sounds of her sobs, not even wanting to hear them herself. It felt like everything went wrong. She shouldn't have even agreed to having a party. This is why she didn't like major social events. Bad things tended to happen at them. That was something she learned early on while working at Stark Industries.

Once her nose was stuffed up beyond belief and she could no longer breath, Gwen got up and stopped crying. She felt cold in bed alone and so she slid out from under the covers and found a sweatshirt. She pulled it on and found herself leaving her room. The clock on the wall had read one in the morning, so Gwen figured everyone was fast asleep.

Gwen wandered until she found the large two story library that resided within the Mansion. She wasn't quite sure why Tony had it, but realized that maybe Pepper wanted it. However, that didn't matter to Gwen at all.

She went inside and was overwhelmed by the smell of books. It was enough to make her lose her thoughts for a second. Before working for Tony, Gwen had been an employee at a nice little book store in Orlando. She loved the smell of books and the feel of books and everything about books. All in all, this place was heaven to her.

She wandered over to a small reading area in one of the corners of this library. It was surrounded by the many shelves that seemed pretty sturdy under the weight of the books. The area was illuminated by a lamp and featured three armchairs. A fireplace sat nearby and made it look rather sophisticated. This was definitely Pepper's idea.

Before Gwen could find a book to sit down with, she heard movement on the second floor. Her thoughts jumped to the worst possible scenario immediately, but despite that she headed towards the spiral staircase that would lead her up there. Once up, she was slightly surprised to find Phil reading a newspaper at a rectangular table. Gwen wasn't sure why he was here or why he was reading a newspaper, but didn't question it. Instead, she slowly made her way over to the table herself and sat down on the opposite side of him, resting her arms on the top.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked without looking up.

"I couldn't," Gwen admitted softly.

Phil looked up and Gwen suddenly felt self-conscious seeing as her eyes were more than likely red and puffy from crying.

"Understandable," answered Phil, turning back to his newspaper.

"Y'know," said Gwen, "you never told me how you survived Loki killing you."

Phil looked up at her again. "I joined SHIELD because I had a relative that had been a part of it. She told me all these stories about Captain America and I wanted to be just like him. SHIELD had developed a potential replica of the super-soldier serum. I was the first person who stepped forward to be a test subject. However, it didn't go as planned. At first they thought nothing happened, but it turned out the serum they gave me made it so that I regenerated at an accelerated rate. Even though I technically died after Loki stabbed me, I regenerated and came back to life. Fury faked my death in order to bring the Avengers together and then sent me on a secret mission to investigate AIM."

Gwen raised her eyebrows. "Does anyone else know about that?"

Phil shook his head. "I was the only success. Not even Agent Hill knows about it, nor Barton and Romanoff."

There was silence for a moment while Phil turned back to the newspaper.

"What happens now?" asked Gwen.

"Director Fury is waiting for AIM to make their next move," answered Phil. "In the meantime, there will be a...funeral for Captain Rogers. It'll be big."

"Big?"

"Mr. Stark will be announcing Captain Rogers' death tomorrow at a press conference. His funeral will be televised."

_Great_, Gwen thought, _I'll be on TV. _

"What about the guy that killed Steve?" asked Gwen.

"He's not giving any answers, but we'll get them eventually. It's obvious he was hired by AIM, but we don't know who specifically."

"Wasn't that MODOK guy the head of it now?"

"We believe that he may be in league with another person."

Gwen's eyebrows shot up. "Who?"

"We don't know yet. MODOK was created by AIM, but not to kill Captain Rogers nor want to kill him. He has nothing to gain from his death except one less Avenger to deal with."

"So you think it was personal."

"Most likely. But since Von Strucker's dead, there's no one that we know of that could possibly want him dead."

"What about Osborn? His body went missing, right? What if AIM got him?"

"We're investigating that, but we don't think it's him either."

"So you have no leads?"

"None."

Gwen sighed. "Fantastic."

Phil suddenly closed his newspaper and folded it up, putting it on the side of the table. Gwen watched him get up and begin to leave the library, giving her a respecful nod.

"Phil?" asked Gwen before he could leave. "Who was that relative you talked about before?"

Phil turned around to face her with a small twitch at the corners of his lips.

"Peggy Carter."

* * *

Steve's funeral took place on the following Wednesday. It was planned out by SHIELD which Gwen was slightly thankful for as she didn't think she could handle it. In this time, Tony had the press conference in New York, announcing Captain America's death. He didn't give Steve's real name in order to keep his identity and nearly cut it short as it seemed even Tony was grieving.

Gwen was forced by Pepper to get ready at the Mansion, having not gone home at all at this point. She didn't protest as she seriously did need help. Every few seconds Gwen found herself fighting back tears. It was amazing how she could still cry. She had thought she'd eventually feel numb like at the funerals for her parents, but even with the numbness that did occur, she still couldn't stop crying.

Pepper helped Gwen put make-up on and picked out what she would wear. Gwen was dressed in a simple short sleeved black dress that went down mid-thigh. She had a thin black sweater just in case it got cold.

Tony was waiting for them when they were finished. He didn't even crack a joke.

"You look nice," he said simply, giving a small smile to Gwen as if to cheer her up.

"Thanks, you too," she answered politely.

The three of them were sent off by Amanda who was attempting to keep things running smoothly while Pepper was gone. They then were picked up in a black sedan by Happy who remained quiet the entire time, most likely knowing that no one wanted to talk.

Not surprisingly, it was drizzling rain outside. What would a funeral be without rain? It seemed Pepper had prepared for this and had several black umbrellas stashed in the sedan just in case.

The group arrrived at Calvary Cemetery in Queens rather quickly. When they had all found out that's where it would take place, Daisy had nearly broken down in sobs about _Doctor Who_ and who Amy and Rory were buried there. Of course, Hank had to point out that they were fictional which she didn't take well.

The rain hadn't stopped at this point, so Pepper handed Gwen an umbrella and her and Tony managed to share one as they all stepped out. Happy also took one and followed them closely as they walked towards where chairs were all set up. There were ropes on either side of the chairs where it seemed paparazzi and camera crews were waiting. Gwen couldn't figure out why the funeral hadn't been moved inside, but didn't question it. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a casket at the front of the seats. It was closed and had an American flag drapped over it.

She was led by Tony and Pepper to the front of the chairs and Gwen wiped off the rain drops before sitting down. She then looked around and saw that many people were arriving as well, not even noticing Pepper sit down next to her while Tony sat on the CEO's otherside. Rhodey sat next to Tony while Bruce, Betty, Hank, Janet, and Erik sat behind them. Natasha and Clint were in the way back, Gwen assuming that Matt was probably at work. Daisy sat on Gwen's other side with Darcy and Jane while Phil sat with Molly behind them. Luke was with Thor on the sides, watching out for any threats and Loki wasn't even present, but Gwen realized he must have been invisible. Thor would've never left him at the Mansion by himself. Peter wasn't there due to him having school. Several more chairs were filled up behind them all by reporters who had managed to gain access from SHIELD to sit there. Gwen noticed Christine Everheart from Vanity Fair sitting in the center wearing a black blouse and black dress pants. Gwen was careful to not be seen and recognized by her.

Pepper took one of Gwen's hands in hers to offer a form of comfort. The blonde took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip to stop herself from crying again. She just wanted this all over with so she could potentially help SHIELD figure out who hired the assassin to kill her husband. And she wanted answers from said assassin. She wanted to know everything.

A short and plump priest stood in front of them all at a podium with a microphone, holding an umbrella over himself as he tried to keep his Bible from getting soaked. He began speaking, but Gwen wasn't listening. There were flashes from cameras that blinded her in the corners of her eyes and could really only hear the pattering of each rain drop on the umbrellas.

"And now Tony Stark will speak," said the priest, stepping down from the podium.

Gwen looked over at Tony in shock, not knowing he was going to do this. Pepper gave him the umbrella the two had been using and then got under Gwen's for the moment. Tony slowly walked up to the podium and reached into his suit jacket to pull out some cards. Gwen felt herself smirk slightly, glad he was sticking to cards. However, as Tony opened his mouth to speak, he closed it. He didn't seem to know what to say. Gwen looked around at others and could tell they were all just as confused. Tony never messed up on words. Suddenly, Gwen heard movement and turned around to see Phil getting up. He walked up to the podium and whispered something in Tony's ear. The genius nodded and stuffed the cards back in his jacket and went back to his seat. Gwen saw Pepper give her husband a simpathetic look and rubbed his arm soothingly.

"There was once a young boy who lived in Brooklyn," started Phil, making Gwen's attention turn to him. "He had an older brother, a mother and a father. Growing up, he wasn't the smartest. He wasn't the fastest. He wasn't the greatest. He was average. He was someone who fell through the cracks while the good, smart kids were praised and the troublesome, unruly kids were punished. But one person saw through that. So while his father bragged about the older brother and how good he was at football and how he had straight A's, his mother saw something different. She saw a good man. How did she know he was good? Becasue she knew a man that had twice the amount of good than most men. He was someone who wasn't the smartest, wasn't the fastest and wasn't the greatest. He was average, someone that fell through the cracks. He was the kid from Brooklyn's greatest inspiration and hero."

Phil was silent for a moment as everyone took in this story.

"Captain America changed my life," continued Phil proudly. "He changed all of our lives."

Gwen swallowed the lump in her throat as Phil looked at her specifically.

"He was truly an American hero."

Once Phil was finished, he stepped down fom the podium and the priest took his spot back. It was silent except for the priest's voice as Gwen watched Phil sit down next to his girlfriend again. Gwen turned around and gave Phil a smile and mouthed, "Thank you."

Phil returned the smile and nodded before turning his attention back to the front.

Once the funeral was over and the priest had told all about Steve's adventures in World War II, many of which Gwen had no idea about, and also what he has done in today's world that wasn't classified, several army veterans shot their guns while a man with a trumpet played TAPS. The flag that rested on the casket was folded up and given to Tony and not to Gwen so that way no one figured out that she was married to Steve. She knew he'd give it to her later when no reporters were around.

Once it was over, Tony took Gwen up to the casket to say final farewells. Tony didn't say anything and simply gave her the flag.

"I'll distract them," he muttered, gesturing towards the mob of reporters and cameramen who Jane was trying to keep Thor away from.

"Thanks," replied Gwen, clutching the flag to her chest as Tony went to go do what he did best; other than saving the world that is.

Gwen turned back to the casket, knowing it would be lowered into the ground soon. She really didn't know what to say. If she said a long speech it would end in tears. She remembered Peter at Gwen Stacy's funeral and how he hadn't said much if anything at all. But this was different.

"I love you," she said at last, running a hand along the top of the casket before turning around.

It appeared that Tony had worked his magic. All of the reporters and everyone else were surrounding Tony who was turning on his charm for them. This therefore gave all of the others the opportunity to get out of there as quickly as possible to avoid attention. Gwen saw Pepper standing off to the side, talking on the phone and looking relieved. When she hung up, Gwen walked over to her and pulled down her umbrella as the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking out of the light gray clouds.

"How're you doing?" asked Pepper when she noticed Gwen approaching.

"Okay I guess," answered Gwen softly.

Pepper gave her a smile and wrapped her up in a hug.

"Listen," said Pepper, "everyone's going back to the Mansion for drinks. You're going back with us whether you want to or not."

Gwen nodded at the strawberry blonde and was led by her to where many cars were parked. As Gwen followed Pepper to where Happy's sedan was, the blonde was approached by two muscular men in black suits and completely black sunglasses with a look of SHIELD on them.

"Agent Rogers, we need you to come with us," said the one on the left with a deep voice.

"Why?" asked Gwen.

"Director Fury's request," answered the other one.

Gwen looked over to Pepper who reluctantly nodded for her to go with them. The blonde nodded back and turned to the agents.

"Alright. Let's go."

* * *

**Like I said, I hope that was okay. I obviously couldn't have Sam Wilson speak 'cause he's not here so I thought Coulson would be the next best person. I promise you all that Gwen and Steve will be reuinted in the next chapter with some angry!Gwen and fluffiness.**

**Oh and the stuff with Couslon is all my own headcannon. If you've seen anything like that elsewhere, I _did not_ copy it. I swear.**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Hey, look at that, a quick update. It's kinda short but at least it's something to hold you guys over until the next one. Well, my mom had minor surgery so she'll probably be resting for a while which might mean I get to watch the Avengers with her again which is so much fun because she makes the funniest jokes. Also, who else is totally excited for the Iron Man 3 trailer coming out soon? I'm dying to see what they've done with the Mandarin and why they have the Iron Patriot suit.**

**XxXWolfDemonKimaXxX: You'll just have to read and find out!**

**LianaDare8: Exactly, I don't see her being mad at anyone but Fury.**

**torixx3: Terribly sorry! Won't happen again.**

**Arrows the Wolf: I'm sorry! It'll be okay.**

**Hanna: I'm glad you liked it! I was thinking of extending the time, but yes I do have a master plan haha. But you don't need to shut your mouth, I like hearing ideas.**

**stinkysox: Thank you! I hope this is good too.**

**12141998: I'm glad! I'm happy it's supenseful.**

**LiebenMadchen: I am a Doctor Who fan! Thank you!**

**Itsgoose2u: Thank you! Haha I had a feeling that's what your feels would be like. **

**MysticRyter: I know, I saw it too and I was like but I thought of that months ago!**

**summergurl48: I'm glad you liked it haha. And yes, he will be revealed to her. **

**clarinetgirl628: Thank you! I must be heartless because I didn't cry at all when I wrote it haha. **

**Phantom-Demon: Oh man, I didn't even think of that happening. That's so depressing haha. I know right? What if Fury used ketchup! I'd be so mad if I were Coulson. **

**KrisEaly: Thank you! Wow, thank you very much! That really motivates me haha.**

**The Red Dove: I've always wanted to say that too haha. And "the butler did it." But I don't think that'll ever happen. **

**RealMcCoy16: Thank you very much!**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: Not sure whether to apologize or give graditude. But since we apologize so much I'll go with that. I'M SORRY.**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

It was a strange feeling as Steve woke up. He wasn't quite sure where he was or why he was there. He couldn't remember how he even got here. The last thing he remembered was sharing that prophecy Loki told him with Tony and then something must have happened. Had they been attacked? Was Gwen okay?

Steve sat up quickly, searching the the small white recovery room for some sort of sign of what happened. Had he been asleep for another seventy years? Man, that would be bad. There was no way he was missing out on spending the rest of his life with Gwen. If he was another seventy years into the future, surely they had a time machine, right?

The only door in the room suddenly opened and in stepped Fury, his dark appearance contrasting with the brightness of the room. Steve was quiet as Fury closed the door behind him and placed his hands behind his back formally.

"Captain-" he began.

"What happened?" asked Steve quickly, cutting Fury off in a panic. "Where's Gwen?"

"Let me explain," replied Fury slowly. "Your wife is fine. You were shot at her birthday party."

Steve furrowed his brow. "Shot?"

"Yes. They got you out of there as fast as they could and got Agent Powers inside. However, there is one thing that you may be unhappy with."

"Is Gwen okay?"

"Yes, Captain, she's fine. Physically."

"Well...then what's wrong?"

Fury took a deep breath. "She thinks you're dead."

Steve was quiet for a moment as he argued with himself. There was no way she thought he was dead. Why would she? He survived being shot, she should've been waiting for him to wake up. But she wasn't. Was this a sick joke or was Fury serious?

"She thinks I'm _dead_?" the soldier repeated.

Fury nodded. "Everyone does. In fact, they're at your funeral right now."

"You sent my wife to my funeral?" asked Steve slowly.

Fury nodded.

"Are you - dammit are you out of your mind!"

"Calm down, Cap."

Steve stood up. "How can I calm down? My wife thinks I'm _dead_!"

"I know that-"

"Then you better have a damn good explanation!"

Fury sighed. "I can get her here as soon as possible and I will explain to you both why I did this. Do you think you can handle that?"

Steve bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from retorting. It would go faster if he didn't say anything, so he simply nodded and sat back down on the bed. There was no doubt that he was infuriated, but at the moment he was too concerned about Gwen. He knew she was more than likely hurting and couldn't stand the idea of her feeling that way.

Fury nodded. "I'll bring her back."

And with that, Fury left the room to send out two agents to the funeral.

* * *

Gwen was confused the entire car ride. Neither agent said a single thing and she didn't have the energy to ask any questions. She simply fiddled with the edge of the flag she still held in her hands. It was the only form of comfort she had at this moment as she watched the buildings of Manhattan go by.

They arrived at the Avengers Tower and was taken up to a specific floor where the landing pad was for the Quinjets. One seemed to be waiting for her and the agents. She was ushered on board and strapped in.

One flight later brought her to the Helicarrier. She immediately began coming up with bizarre scenarios. Maybe Fury found out some information about the people behind Steve's murder. Or maybe he found out about her and Peter going to Oscorp when they were told not to. No matter what the reason could be, Gwen couldn't stop her heart from hammering in her chest as the two agents led her off of the Quinjet and she was quickly greeted by Fury.

"Agent Powers," he said.

"Director," answered Gwen. "If you don't mind me asking, what am I doing here?"

Fury's eyes flickered to the flag in her hands and then back to her eyes

"I have something to show you."

Gwen's curiously was bursting at the seams as she followed Fury through the halls of the Helicarrier. What could he possibly want to show her? The assassin? A weapon? The possibilities were endless.

They stopped at a door and Fury put a code in the keypad next to it. The code was accepted and the door opened to reveal none other than Steve. He was alive and sitting on a bed looking anxious. His head shot up at the sound of the opening door and he stood up when he saw Gwen.

"Steve?" she asked in disbelief.

How was this possible? He was supposed to be dead! She had just been at his funeral yet here he was, perfectly fine.

In a rush, Gwen ran forward and threw herself into Steve's arms. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and tried to stop fresh tears, tears of joy, from spilling over. She clutched the white cotton shirt he wore as if she feared he'd disappear if she let go. Steve's arms wrapped around her and he held her close, obviously knowing what happened.

"I thought you were dead," muttered Gwen, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt.

"I'm sorry," answered Steve.

Gwen chuckled. "You're sorry that I thought you were dead?"

"I guess."

The two stayed this was for a while until Fury cleared his throat, reminding the couple of his presence.

And that's when Gwen got angry.

"Wait a minute," she started, turning around. "You knew, didn't you?"

Fury nodded. "I only faked the Captain's death so it would save his life."

Gwen narrowed her eyes and felt Steve trying to figure out if he should stop her or back away.

"Do you know what I've gone through?" asked Gwen in a shaky voice. "Do you know how it's been these past few days?"

"Agent Powers-"

"Dammit Fury, I went to my husband's funeral today! Why couldn't I know he was actually alive?"

"If you'd let me-"

"He got shot at my birthday party! Why did I have to suffer?"

"Gwen," came Steve's voice, making Gwen stop and realize what she was doing.

The lights in the room were flickering in a dangerous fashion and Gwen could feel her fists were clenched tight. Fury was giving her an "are you kidding me" look.

"Have you forgotten to take the medication Banner makes you?" asked Fury.

Gwen couldn't remember the last time she took some. It was imperative that she did seeing as she was rather known around SHIELD for her power and the accident she had after the Chitauri invasion.

Gwen shut her eyes and took a deep breath as the lights went back to normal and the tension she felt dissolved. She then opened her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, controlling her anger at Fury for the moment.

"You better have a good explanation for this," she spat bitterly.

Fury took a deep breath. "The reason I hid Rogers' survival was so that AIM would think they succeeded."

"And you couldn't tell us? Or at least me?"

"No, I couldn't. The only way AIM would find out without letting the assassin go was by making a big deal out of the funeral so that it became world news. That way, wherever they are, they'd know and start planning their next move."

"And so you couldn't tell us because...?"

"Because it needed to look real."

"We could've acted!"

"They would've known."

"How could they possibly have known we were acting!"

"Agent Powers, you have to realize that there is no way that you could've pretended your husband was actually dead, no matter how good of an actress you are. This was the only way."

"Did Phil know?"

Fury paused and then shook his head. "He'll be told soon."

"Y'know, you seem to have a funny habit of faking people's deaths."

Fury stifled an eye roll and put his hands on his hips. "Listen, I did what I did because I had to. AIM would continue their assassination attempts until they succeeded and now they think they did. If they had continued, someone else could have gotten hurt. Besides, you're not the only who's been having a stressful time."

"Then what was in the casket?"

"Nothing. You know that SHIELD arranged the funeral. It wasn't because we didn't think you were incapable, it was so that we could set it up to be what we wanted it to be. The casket was empty."

"So it was all a show? A show just to get an agency off your back?"

Fury sighed. "Agent Powers-"

"Maybe if we were being sent on missions to investigate potential AIM bases, this wouldn't have happened! Maybe if we were donig something to stop them, the world wouldn't think that Captain America is dead!"

"We don't know where any bases are."

"But we have their assassin! We need to force answers out of him!"

"By doing what exactly?"

Gwen became very quiet as she realized what she just said. No matter how horrible a person was, she couldn't ever want them to be tortured, tortured like she was, simply for answers. She didn't know this assassin. Maybe he was brainwashed, maybe he had been doing this all of his life and knew nothing else. But she wanted answers. Someone needed to pay.

"We will find out everything we can, but in time," continued Fury, his voice surprisingly still calm. "Right now you need to calm down and relax. Your husband's alive. Everything's okay."

Gwen took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second before opening them again and loosening her grip on the flag.

"I'm going to gather the others to tell them everything. You two can come out when you're ready."

With that, Fury turned around and left the room, his tench coat billowing behind him. Gwen immediately turned around as the door clicked closed and threw her arms around Steve's neck once more. His arms instinctively went around her waist as he pulled her close to him.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," he muttered, kissing her hair softly.

"It's not your fault," Gwen replied. "Besides, I guess I understand. But I still wish I could've known in advance though."

"Uh...yeah."

Gwen leaned back as she heard the change of tone in Steve's voice that signaled he was hiding something.

"What are you not telling me?" she asked.

"N - nothing," he lied terribly.

"Steve..."

"Did I tell you, you look pretty?"

"Steve!"

"Fine! When Loki and Thor came, Loki may have told me a prophecy involving a 'warrior' falling on a day of celebration or something."

Gwen took a deep breath. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you."

"Why did Loki tell you anyway?"

"He was worried it'd be you. He feels like he still owes you or something. And he told me because he'd want someone to do it for him if Sigyn was in danger."

Gwen sighed and looked down at her feet. "I just wish I would've known."

"Hey." Steve put a finger under her chin and lifted her head up to look at him. "I should've told you, and I'm sorry, but everything's okay now."

"But you're dead to the world, how is that okay?"

"I don't know, but we'll figure something out."

After a deep breath from Gwen, Steve pulled her into his arms again and held her close. She buried her face in his chest and clutched his shirt again. It felt so good to know he was okay. She was still angry, of course, but her irriation was slowly fading. There was nothing that could be done about what Fury did now. But at least she was back with Steve again, even if the past few days were torture.

"I missed you," Gwen muttered, feeling tears sting her eyes again.

"I would be insulted if you didn't," answered Steve with a smile in his voice.

Gwen chuckled. "Don't get cocky, soldier."

Steve leaned back and planted a gentle, loving kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**I meant to be finished with this earlier, but I've been having some family issues, so please forgive me. And to those reading my other story, I will updating that soon. It's just been a rough time. I promise the next one will be up much faster as I'm getting excited because some characters you probably are waiting for will make their first appearance.**

**In other news, who else died when they saw the Iron Man 3 trailer? 'Cause I sure did. Also, Shailene Woodley has signed on to play MJ which I find highly disappointing but oh well.**

**Arrows the Wolf: Hah, I'm glad it did!**

**Itsgoose2u: Thank you! I know right? Poor Phil. He goes through too much. **

**XxXWolfDemonKimaXxX: You'll find out in this chapter! And yes, that is definately what he should take away hahahah.**

**MysticRyter: Sorry if you wanted it to be longer. It just felt weird to make it so.**

**The Red Dove: Hahahaha that's exactly what Gwen's thinking haha. And thank you!**

**Phantom-Demon: I'd wanna hit Fury too. I was actually doing that on purpose, but only Fury calls her Powers simply because it's kinda confusing when there's two Rogers.**

**KrisEaly: Yay! Thank you!**

**RealMcCoy16: Thank you very much! I'm glad too.**

**LianaDare8: She feels better, thank you. Unfortunately my dad's no help, so she still had to do everything around the house.**

**stinkysox: Haha well I'm certainly glad! And yes, I did know that. I was so super duper excited about it :D**

**Hanna: Haha, that's good. Thank you! I love bringing out that tough side of Gwen. I love Iron Man so much omg. It looks like it's gonna be fantastic. **

**BarronsBaubles: Thank you! I love fluff too.**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: Hahaha I'm now imagining you going all ninja on Fury that's hilarious. **

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

There was definitely a large mix in reactions to Steve's survival. Fury had ordered everyone to gather in the living room of the Mansion seeing as they were all at the building anyway. Gwen and Steve were then sent via Quinjet to the Mansion while Fury broke the news to Phil privately before heading out to the Mansion himself. Gwen held onto Steve's hand the entire time, not willing to let him go. Once they arrived, they were lead by Fury down into the living room where everyone showed their several different emotions.

"Jesus!" shouted Darcy first as Daisy's jaw dropped.

"Where's Jesus?" asked Janet.

"Who is this Jesus?" inquired Thor with a curious look.

"That's not Jesus," argued Bruce.

"Steve?" asked Tony who seemed the most shocked of them all.

Gwen looked at her husband and noticed he was rather flustered from all of the attention he was getting at the moment.

"Uh, hi," he greeted lamely.

"I'm so confused right now," muttered Jane.

Fury went on to explain what he told Gwen and Steve. Tony was the angriest about it while Thor seemed to finally realize what that prophecy meant and then gave Loki a look that made the trickster look slightly shameful, most likely for not telling everyone what he had thought.

"Why couldn't you tell us?" spat Tony, his words laced with venom.

Fury sighed. "Because AIM needed to think he was dead."

"Did we need to think he was dead?"

"Tony..." said Pepper, putting a hand on her husband's arm, but still looking just as shocked as everyone else.

Tony took this as a hint to keep his mouth shut, but that didn't stop him from looking like he was going to punch Fury in the mouth.

"Anyway," continued Fury with a glare at the billionaire, "now that everyone knows, it has to stay a secret."

"But can we go home?" asked Gwen hopefully.

Fury shook his head. "Rogers can't be seen in public."

"So I have to stay here?" inquired Steve.

"You're welcome here if you have to," added Pepper.

"He does have to," agreed Fury. "No one can know he's still alive. Even staying here is risky."

"We shall take the Captain to Asgard!" exclaimed Thor happily, earning sassy eye rolls from Loki and Tony.

"Humans in Asgard?" asked Bruce incredulously with arched eyebrows.

"Of course!"

Gwen noticed that Steve seemed to pale at Thor's idea and didn't seem to know how to respond.

"I - I don't know..." stuttered the soldier.

"It would be fun!" added Thor.

"What would that accomplish?" asked Rhodey.

"I supposed because Steve wouldn't need to worry about being caught here," explained Bruce. "It honestly doesn't seem like a bad idea."

"Thank you, my green friend," said Thor.

"But isn't Asgard another planet?" asked Steve. "I'm barely comfortable with this one."

"I'll go with you," stated Gwen before she realized what she was saying.

Steve turned to her with a mixture of shock and relied in his face.

"Really?" he said. "You don't have to."

"No, no I want to. It would be kinda cool, actually."

"I wanna go, too!" shouted Darcy. "And I'm sure Jane wants to as well."

"Well, I - uh," stuttered Jane.

"Of course Jane wants to come!" agreed Thor.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. But Erik should come too. We could study the bridge together."

Everyone's attention now turned to Erik who looked uncomfortable with so many eyes on him and simply nodded.

Thor beamed. "So it is settled, we shall go to Asgard!"

"Wait a minute," said Gwen suddenly. "I need some stuff from our house."

"We can send an agent to get it," suggested Fury.

"I honestly would not prefer an agent picking out my clothes, Director."

Fury rolled his eyes. "It's more than likely that there are AIM agents there waiting for you to get back."

"Someone can come with me."

"Can't I go?" asked Steve while everyone gave him an "are you kidding me" look which made him shut up.

"Maybe we should send Fury just in case they're hungry for blood," muttered Tony, earning a glare from his wife.

"Someone has to go with her," continued Steve.

Everyone looked around at each other until someone came forward.

* * *

It finally came to the conclusion that Clint would escort Gwen to the house and help her bring everything that was necessary to the Mansion. Gwen had been slightly surprised when he volunteered, but didn't ask about it. Instead, she just went with it.

Gwen drove, of course, as Clint observed everything around them.

"So," began Clint, "are Tasha and that guy a...thing now?"

Gwen shrugged. "I'm not really sure. He's still pretty new. Fury tasked Natasha to help him adjust to the Avengers seeing as he wasn't too interested in joining. They're probably just friends."

"They seem pretty close."

Gwen looked over at Clint who was staring rather angrily out the window to his right. Gwen found herself holding back a scoff at the archer.

"Are you jealous?" she asked.

"No," answered Clint quickly. "Tasha's my friend. I don't want her getting hurt."

"Or maybe you don't want her being in a relationship."

Gwen felt Clint's eyes move to her for a second before looking away.

"Nat can date who she wants. It doesn't matter to me."

"Yeah, and it _shouldn't _matter. You're _married _Clint."

"I know, I know."

Clint became silent and Gwen stole another glance, noticing that he looked sort of sad now.

"Do you still have feelings for Natasha?"

He didn't answer right away. "I never had feelings for her."

"We both know that's bull, Clint."

"Fine, after Bobbi left I did have feelings for her, but I love my wife. I don't want to hurt her."

"And how would you hurt her?"

"What are you, a psychatrist now?"

"I'm just asking questions."

Clint sighed, but didn't respond.

"Y'know," continued Gwen, "if you have feelings for Natasha, it wouldn't be fair to your wife."

"Then what would I do?"

"Find a way to make it fair."

"By divorcing her? Leaving her for another woman? How is that fair?"

"Well, if she finds out you have feelings for Natasha, she'll be hurt."

Clint groand and rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. "Maybe I should have Fury fake _my_ death."

Gwen cracked a smile as she drove into the driveway to her house.

The place looked fine. No one proabably noticed that they were even gone seeing as Gwen and Steve weren't big on the talking to the neighbors thing. They both found it too risky.

Gwen lead Clint up to the front door and unlocked it, leading the two of them inside. Clint looked around, never having been in the house before. Gwen saw the presents that Steve had gotten her for her birthday still sitting on the counter and his decorations were still up.

"You didn't tell me you guys were having a party," joked Clint.

"It was just Steve being thoughtful," answered Gwen as she headed for the spare bedroom where the suitcases were.

She grabbed both and dragged them to the master bedroom where she began packing some clothes. She had absolutely no idea how long they'd be staying in Asgard and seeing as the realm probably didn't have washing machines, she packed several extra outfits for her and Steve.

Once she finished with clothes, she headed back out into the kitchen to grab some bags to put things like toothbrushes and cosemetics in.

"I wonder if Rogers got you any lingerie," muttered Clint with a laugh as he picked up the top box off the counter and shook it.

Gwen huffed and took the box away. "Steve doesn't even shop for himself so that would have to go through Tony, something that would never happen."

Clint put his arms up. "Hey, chill Gwendolyn."

Gwen didn't answer as she put the box back on the counter. She then found some bags and went into the bathroom where she packed up everything she needed, and some things that may not actually work in Asgard, before throwing the bags in the suitcases. She seemed to be finished, but seeing as she had never packed so fast she wasn't sure.

Going with what she had, Gwen pulled the suitcases out of the bedroom and gave them to Clint who took them out to the car. Gwen quickly grabbed Steve's presents to her and threw them in the car too along with the medication she needed to take. This seemed to be enough, so before Clint could make another inappropriate joke, Gwen climbed into the car and drove away once he followed.

* * *

Peter was feeling less and less stress as the days of finals started coming to an end. After this it was graduation and then college. Then he'd be out in the world, which was actually kind of scary, but he was still looking forward to it.

He watched clock from his desk in his Stats class as a few students tried to finish their final before the bell rang. Peter had his backpack on his back already and was prepared to nearly launch himself out of the classroom the first chance he could. He could feel his teacher's disapproving eyes glaring at him for packing up before class ended, but he didn't care. This was his last day ever in this classroom. He could do whatever he wanted.

At last, the bell rang and Peter shot up out of his desk and was out the door in seconds. He was nearly skipping down the hall as he made his way to his locker and opened it up. Flash Thompson was a few lockers down and Peter said hello to him as he opened his locker and grabbed what he needed out of it and put it in his backpack. He then grabbed his skateboard and made his way to the front doors of Midtown High and found himself stopping when he exited the school.

Sitting on the front steps was MJ. She looked rather lonely and was texting on her phone. Peter wasn't sure if she needed to get picked up or if she was waiting for someone. If she was, it probably wasn't Harry, that was for sure. Peter wanted to walk over to her and sit down, but he found himself unable to do it. Peter shook his head. He was Spider-Man, he shouldn't be so scared to talk to a girl. She was just his neighbor anyway. Yet Peter was feeling like he had when he asked out Gwen Stacy. But he wasn't going to ask out MJ, was he?

As he battled with himself internally, MJ turned aroudn from where she sat and brushed some fo her red hair out of her face as she smiled at Peter. His heart jumped in his chest at the sight and started cursing himself for it. He knew he shouldn't have a girlfriend. He really shouldn't even have friends. They'd always be in danger whether they knew it or not.

"You look confused," observed MJ as she stood up and walked over to Peter as students flooded out of the school around them.

"Uh, well, I - well I'm not confused," answered Peter lamely.

MJ's smile widened. "Are you sure."

"Yeah, yeah I'm sure. I should - I should be heading home..."

Peter began walking past her but stopped as he continued to fight with himself. He turned around and saw MJ still looking at him. Giving up to the part of him that wanted to be normal, he walked back over to MJ.

"Would you - would you like to uh -"

"I'm free on Saturday," said MJ before Peter could even finish.

"W - what?"

"I'm free on Saturday. We could go out to eat if you want."

Peter nodded, surprised by MJ's response. "Uh, yeah, that sounds great."

MJ smiled confidently. "I'll see you then."

She then walked past him and disappeared in the sea of students, leaving Peter feeling the best he had since before Gwen Stacy died.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Hey, everyone! Things are getting a bit better, so I actually got another chapter done. Is anyone else excited for the Avengers: Battle for Earth video game coming out on Tuesday? It looks pretty cool. I can't wait to kick some Skrull ass.**

**thesilversoldier: Same here haha. The Winter Soldier's gonna be amazing if they do it right. I'll probably be an emotional mess because I ship both Clint/Natasha and Bucky/Natasha. And thank you!**

**Arrows the Wolf: ME TOO. SO PERFECT.**

**LianaDare8: I was actually thinking of doing that haha. It would be cool to add the Extremis storyline anyway, but to have Gwen there at the house would be epic. And thank you! I'm trying to use her comic book personality as opposed to the embarrassment she was in those other films.**

**Hanna: That bunny is so weird haha. Some people think its because Pepper could be pregnant or something which would probably not be good with the direction they're taking the movie. And I agree, his voice was slightly irritating. Thank you! I wish the whole gang could go too, but I thought that could be a bit overwhelming haha. And yeah, they were made for each other. Peter/MJ was my first ship at like eight years old from watching cartoons.**

**XxXWolfDemonKimaXxX: Thank you! I bet Steve'll like it too. She'll find out eventually, trust me. I don't want to keep it from her for too long.**

**RealMcCoy16: Thank you very much!**

**Phantom-Demon: Eh, it's Fury haha. Thank you! I sighed as well haha.**

**stinkysox: Thank you! :D**

**The Red Dove: Haha there's just so much going on.**

**Itsgoose2u: Thank you! Haha I could totally see that happening. He'd probably wanna go to Asgard just to be with Steve.**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

The next morning was busy in the Mansion. Pepper was rushing around due to a meeting in D. C. she had to attend and Amanda continued to follow her around like a perfect assistant. Tony and his band of science bros were busy with Stephen, who suddenly reappeared to them, in trying to work on the portals they were creating. Clint and Rhodey took a Quinjet back to the West Coast while Janet stayed to be with Hank.

Gwen woke up Steve in the morning who groaned and nearly fell out of bed. The two got ready and dressed and Gwen double checked that they had everything they needed. Steve offered to take their suitcases to the garage while she went to see if everyone was ready in living room.

As she walked in, she was surprised to find Loki sitting on the couch, his eyes transfixed on the television screen that seemed to be playing a movie. Gwen didn't recognize it, but the blonde man drawing a horse certainly looked a lot like Loki. Out of nowhere, Daisy came in, barefoot of course, and plopped herself down on the couch near him like he wasn't a god that tried to destroy New York.

"What are you guys watching?" asked Gwen as she straightened out her button down top.

"Uh, a movie with the two most attractive people on the planet?" answered Daisy.

"Mind telling me who those people are?"

"Hiddlesbatch scene!"

"What does that - oh never mind. What movie is it?"

"War Horse."

Gwen looked back at Loki who seemed very interested in the movie. She couldn't help but wonder if he had a fascination for horses.

"Brother, Jane needs-"

Thor walked in and stopped mid-sentence when he saw the drawing of the horse on the television. A smile then crept up on his lips as he looked at Loki and them back to the screen.

"My brother loves horses," said Thor very loudly as if to get Loki's full attention.

Gwen saw a frown appear on Loki's lips, but the trickster didn't take his eyes away from the movie.

"In fact," continued Thor, "he spends quite a lot of time with them."

"That was one time, Thor," growled Loki who was now rather angry. "And I would have lost my head had I not seduced him."

Daisy started choking on her laughter as Gwen's eyes widened in confusion.

"What happened?" she asked.

"If Loki does not help Jane, I shall tell you," answered Thor.

Loki scowled, but got up and followed a very happy looking Thor out of the room. Gwen looked over at Daisy who was still laughing and decided she wasn't getting any answers out of her. She'd figure out what happened eventually.

Gwen then headed back towards the bedroom. Out of nowhere, she realized something.

Peter didn't know about Steve.

Gwen felt that even if Peter was just a student, he still needed to know. As she walked back to her bedroom she quickly texted Peter the situation and that he should keep a close eye on Oscorp while she was away. She didn't risk calling him just in case he was taking a final.

Gwen finally entered their bedroom and found Steve sitting on the bed, buttoning up his shirt. He looked up and gave her a boyish smile. She smiled back and sat down beside him. He finished and turned to her.

"Did you wanna open your presents before we go?" he asked.

Gwen nodded. "Of course."

Steve's smile widened as he got up and brought the boxes over to her.

She opened the card that was on top and found that it was a rather generic one, though it did have Yoda on it. She didn't mind though, considering the cards she had gotten from Tony in the past. After thanking Steve for that, Gwen opened the first box. It was small and looked like it would hold some type of jewelry. She ripped off the purple wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside was a thin gold chain that held a pendant, that pendant being a miniature shield.

A smiled stretched across Gwen's face as she admired it. She then looked up at Steve who seemed pretty pleased with himself.

"Thank you," said Gwen as she hugged her husband and quickly put the necklace around her neck before she forgot.

Gwen quickly opened the next present which rested inside a rectangular box. Inside was a shirt which had the socially awkward penguin on it, something Gwen had mentioned to him before. She was shocked that he remembered, which made it all the more meaningful.

However, the last present wasn't something he had bought for her. Instead, it was a sketchbook. Gwen flipped through some of the pages, expecting them to be blank, but they weren't. They were filled with detailed drawings of objects and places that had sentimental value to her. Some pages had drawings of places in her hometown of Orlando and others had drawings of places in Malibu, where her life had changed drastically. Some drawings were of New York and some of things from the 1930's and 1940's. Each sketch was incredibly detailed and were nearly as perfect as a photograph. The last page was a drawing of a picture that Gwen had on the nightstand on her side of their bed. It was a picture of her as a young child at Disney World with her parents, right in front of Cinderella's castle. The drawing itself seemed almost magical.

"Oh, Steve," she muttered as she started going through the pages again with tears in her eyes.

"I've actually been working on it for months," Steve replied. "I know it's not as good as pictures-"

"No," Gwen cut him off, "it's better than pictures. Thank you."

She then kissed him lovingly and wrapped her arms around his neck while his circled her waist.

"Happy late-birthday, sweetheart."

Gwen giggled. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Once Gwen had calmed down, she snuck the sketchbook and the t-shirt into her suitcase. A knock on their door from Tony told them they needed to get outside where a large SHIELD SUV was waiting for them. Steve was forced to put on a baseball cap and sunglasses to avoid being recognized quickly and was nearly shoved into the vehicle while Thor easily put everyone's luggage into the back.

Phil sat in the driver's seat as Gwen said goodbye with the others and spoke animatedly with Steve, bringing a smile to Gwen's face. After rejecting Tony insisting she should bring her suit along, Gwen got in the SUV in the center seat while Darcy got in on the other side. Erik sat in front with Phil while Jane, Thor and Loki sat in the far back. The gods were only driving with them to keep suspicion down.

It was a slightly awkward drive to the Bifrost site, but they made it unharmed. They were surrounded by a forest of trees as they stood in a clearing. Steve was forced to stay inside the car until the last moment, making him irritated he couldn't help with the suitcases. Thor lifted them out as Loki stood in the center of the strange circle on the ground, staring up at the sky. Gwen, Darcy, Jane and Erik joined him and Phil finally let Steve out.

"If you are in need of any of us," Thor told Phil, "just demand Heimdall to alert us."

"Gotcha," answered Phil with a bid. "Good luck everyone."

They all waved goodbye to Phil, except for Loki of course, as he retreated to the SUV and drove away. Gwen took a hold of Steve's hand as Thor tilted his head up towards the sky.

"Heimdall!" he called. "Open the Bifrost!"

At first nothing happened, but suddenly Gwen could feel her feet lifting off the ground. It was a strange experience, making her wonder if this was what using a portkey or Apparating felt like. Suddenly, she was yanked upwards and felt like flying. She closed her eyes as air whipped past her face. How could people use this as a form of travel? It was terrifying. After what was only seconds, her feet automatically found ground and the air around her felt completely different. It was a little colder, but it felt as though some sort of energy was floating through the air. Then Gwen opened her eyes.

They were in Asgard.

* * *

Two men stood on a busy sidewalk in front of a tall skyscraper, staring up at a statue. One had a shaved head and wore casual attire while the other had dark hair and wore a suit.

"Typical of Victor Von Doom to build a thirty foot statue of himself," said the shaved one. "And I thought Stark Tower had been bad."

"Well, it's obviously aimed at first time visitors to create feelings of smallness and inadequacy," argued the other one.

The shaved one turned. "Good thing it ain't working."

The dark haired man walked forward, the other one following behind.

"Reed," continued the shaved one, "what're we doing here? This guy's fast-food strip-mall science."

"This wasn't our first stop, in case you forgot," said Reed. "Besides, Victor's not that bad. He's just a little…larger than life."

* * *

A hologram showing the solar system floated around in a room as Reed walked around a spoke, controlling it with a remote.

"My research suggests that exposure to a high energy cosmic storm, born on solar winds, might have triggered the evolution of early planetary life. In six weeks, another cloud, with the same elemental profile will pass Earth's orbit. A study conducted in space could fundamentally advance our knowledge about the structure of the human genome. Cure countless diseases, extend human life, give kids a chance to live longer, stronger, healthier-"

"Turn it off," said a snobby man, "please. "

"I don't think I've explained my proposal fully-"

"No, I think you have. Same old Reed, always stretching, reaching for the stars with the weight of the world on his back. But dreams don't pay the bills do they?" The man threw a magazine down, depicting Reed as being bankrupt.

"You remember, when we were in school, we talked about working together, well that's where I was about to explain." Reed clicked his remote again and the hologram changed. "The storm is deadly, but the shields on your station's control room are designed to protect any occupants inside."

"So it's not just my money you want, it's my toys." Reed nodded at Victor. "Tell me, if NASA doesn't trust you, then why should I?" Victor got out of his chair and started walking towards Reed as the shaved man gave a confused look. "That's my job, to stay a step ahead, to know what other men don't."

"I can't take this," said the shaved man, getting anxious.

"Ben, this is business," scolded Reed, "just work."

"He's right, Ben," came a female voice from behind them. "It is just business."

Ben turned around and saw a blonde woman standing there while Reed looked too scared to turn.

"I think you both know my director of genetic research, Susan Storm," stated Victor as she walked forward.

"One more thing he's got," Ben muttered to Reed as they both fully turned around. "Hey Susie."

"Hey," answered Susan as she and Ben hugged. "Oh, it's so nice to see you. How's Debbie?"

"Great."

"Great."

Susan then turned to Reed and the air in the room became very awkward. Her smile faded from her face and Reed looked as though he was at a loss of words.

"How've you been?" he asked.

"Never better," Susan replied a bit bitterly as they shook hands.

"This isn't gonna be a problem, is it?" asked Victor arrogantly.

"Oh, not at all," answered Reed quickly as Susan shook her head.

"Good." Victor approached them all and stood next to Susan. "Then you are just in time to hear the great Reed Richards ask me for help. You know you made a lot of folks at MIT feel like a junior high science fair so you'll excuse me if I savor the moment."

"You back this mission and I'll sign over a fair percentage of any applications-"

"The number seventy-five. And it's applications and patents."

"What about his first born?" joked Ben.

"Ben…"

"Come on, twenty-five percent of a billion is enough to get the lights on for a while, isn't it? Maybe pay off the fourth mortgage on the Baxter Building. Deal?"

Victor put his hand out and after a moment of hesitation, Reed shook it.

"Well, then, to our future, together." Victor put his arm around Susan possessively. "It's funny how things turn out, isn't it?"

"Hilarious," replied Reed dryly.

Reed went to packing up the hologram projector as Ben approached him.

"He knew about NASA," said Ben, "maybe he made the call that shut us down."

"Ben, think about all the people we can help with if this works, huh?" countered Reed. "Look, we got what we wanted, that's enough. A few days in space, it'll be great. What's the worst that can happen?"

The two then went to the elevator and were followed by Susan. The three stepped in as she pressed a button to take them to a different floor.

Susan turned to Reed. "Reed you should know those solar winds have been picking up speed."

"Oh, I've factored them into my coordinates," he answered.

"Right, of course you did. In theory, it's a little different once you're out there."

"I can assure you I factored-"

"When are we leaving?" interrupted Ben as he sensed an argument coming on.

Susan turned back to him and smiled. "I'll be scheduling the launch, so you can call me in the morning for resources and crew."

"I think I remember the number," said Reed with a smirk.

Susan took out a business card and handed it to him. "It's been changed."

Ben cleared his throat and nudged his head towards Susan while Reed looked at him.

"As far as crew, I was hoping Ben could pilot the mission," suggested Reed.

"We already have a pilot on our payroll, but you're welcome to ride shotgun," replied Susan. "Remember my brother Johnny?"


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Hey guys. I am sooooo sorry for taking so long. I have so much to do this month and the next, but I'll try my best to update. For those of you reading my other story, I promise I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Let's look on the bright side, at least the Amazing Spider-Man came out. An Jeremy Renner on SNL was amazing.**

**Anyway, at the end is another part of Fantastic Four, so if you find that boring, just skip it. I'm only putting it in for those who haven't seen the movie recently or at all.**

**Hanna: Unfortunately this wasn't too fast haha. I'm glad you like them too! I'll be straying from the movie a bit and doing my own thing with it so it doesn't suck anymore. And don't worry, Amanda isn't evil. She's all good.**

**Arrows the Wolf: Oh yes :D**

**Iris June: Haha I seriously couldn't help myself. And I can't wait either! Thank you!**

**stinkysox: Thank you! I'm glad you liked that part.**

**12141998: I'm glad you like that, they'll hopefully be playing big roles.**

**LianaDare8: Yeah it's about time, huh? I can't wait either hah. If I get to the next installment (which is where I would add in Iron Man 3) before the movie comes out I'd just try to tie it all together. I'm curious to see how they go through with the Extremis storyline.**

**Kima Wolfwood: I'm glad you liked them! Hopefully you like their adventures in Asgard.**

**Itsgoose2u: Thank you! Haha they would get along. Haha Thor would probably add on things to the story too.**

**The Red Dove: I wanna go as well! Haha I watched the movie like a month ago. I think...**

**thesilversoldier: Thank you! Fun times indeed! And yes, Johnny is still Chris Evans. I think it's hilarious.**

**Phantom-Demon: Haha they sure will get interesting. I'm glad you liked that gift!**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: Hahaha I'm glad you liked it girl. WHOO AMANNY. Haha that was my favorite line too. I couldn't help myself.**

**Peace and Blessings: I'm excited to have them in the story. And that's quite alright. I'm glad you love it!**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

Asgard was even more beautiful than Gwen thought it would be. Granted all she was seeing at the observatory she and the others appeared in, but even this was beautiful.

As they all took in the detail of the structure, what seemed to be almost like lightning flashing around them died down and the observatory ceased spinning. Standing in the center was a man with dark skin covered by golden armor. He was lifting a matching gold sword out of the center. Thor went up to the man and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Heimdall," he said.

The Gatekeeper nodded and observed the humans walking past him. Gwen was surprised by his golden eyes and thought they were incredible. She hurried to walk beside Steve who had yanked off the baseball cap and shades and was looking awestruck. Darcy was smiling at everything as she skipped along an Jane and Erik looked beyond fascinated.

The humans followed Thor and Loki out of the observatory and on to the rainbow bridge. Gwen was afraid to step on it at first as it looked as though she may slip through it, but after seeing the others walk on it, she deemed it safe. Once everyone was out, Heimdall stood at the entrance with his sword pointed down.

"Do we have to walk all of this way?" whined Darcy as they saw how long this bridge actually was.

"Of course not," answered Thor with a happy smile.

As if on cue, some sort of Asgardian carriage came into view. The white horses pulling it trotted up to them and somehow managed to turn it around so it was facing Asgard. The carriage was, of course, gold and had a door on the right side. Being a gentleman, Steve stepped forward and opened it up to let everyone in as two other horses trotted up for Thor and Loki to get on.

"I feel like I'm in a Disney movie," commented Darcy gleefully as everyone got into the carriage.

Gwen couldn't help but think the same thing. The inside of the carriage was gold as well and the seats on either side were like silk. Jane, Darcy and Erik took one side while Gwen and Steve took the other with everyone's luggage. It almost seemed bigger on the inside, but Gwen figured she had just been watching too much sci-fi.

The carriage began moving and the ride was incredibly smooth. There were windows on both sides and everyone kept trying to look out them in order to see the realm. From what Gwen could see, it was gorgeous. They passed statues and pillars, all intricate and full of detail. She wondered what some of the monuments were for and figured they were probably for fallen warriors.

It was quiet as the carriage came to a stop and the door opened. The humans all piled out and looked up at the sight before them.

It seemed this was the palace of Asgard.

Gwen craned her neck to try to see the top, but it was so high she though she'd break her neck. Around her, people walked about in long dresses and clothes like Thor and Loki wore. They gave the visitors strange looks. It certainly wasn't common for Midgardians to show up in Asgard.

Thor and Loki dismounted their horses and the animals went off with the carriage. Gwen had no idea what made them do that, but she didn't dwell on it.

"Right this way," said Thor, putting out his arm for Jane who giggled and took it.

They all walked up the steps to the palace. Gwen was still in awe as Thor and Loki led them towards what she assumed was Odin's throne room. She didn't know much about Asgard, but it seemed like the logical place he'd be.

They passed many different rooms on their way there and many different people. There was a woman with a basket of shiny apples, a man who appeared to be blind and several guards. Each person looked confused as to why these random people were walking through the palace, but didn't seem to question it when they saw the princes. Gwen saw many young women shoot daggers at Jane with their eyes.

At last they came upon a set of grand gold doors. They were opened by a group of guards. Inside was yet another gold room. Gwen wondered if they ever got tired of the color. She stepped inside with everyone else as they walked to the top of some stairs. Down below was a throne and upon it was the Allfather himself wearing his helmet and formal attire.

"Father," greeted Thor happily as he lead everyone down the stairs, "we bring guests."

Odin stated at them all with confused and looked back and forth between Thor and Loki.

"Why have you brought mortals to Asgard?" asked the old man.

Thor motioned towards Steve. "Captain Rogers is in need of protection."

"And the others?"

"They wished to join. This, father, is Jane."

Jane looked intimidated as Odin stood with his staff in his hand and stepped down from his throne to be in front of her. He then took her hand and kissed the top of it.

"Pleased to meet you, Jane," he said. "Thor has spoke highly of you."

"Oh, uh, you too," replied Jane rather lamely.

Thor smiled nonetheless and introduced everyone else. Odin remembered Gwen and Steve from seeing them before, but never knew exactly who they were. Darcy curtsied when introduce and Erik simply looked uncomfortable.

"Gallon!" exclaimed Odin, turning around to look at a young guard standing beside the throne. "Fetch my wife."

Gallon nodded and bowed to the king before leaving the throne room.

"I hope you realize this is the first time Midgardians have been in Asgard," continued the Allfather to his sons in a warning tone.

"They mean no harm," answered Thor. "In fact, Jane and Erik would like to study the Bifrost."

Odin raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"What Thor means is that they would like to examine it like one would examine an herb," added Loki.

Odin looked between his sons before finally nodded. He opened his mouth to speak when another person came into the room.

"Odin, is it true? Are they back?"

A woman came into view and figured that this was Odin's wife. She was wearing a long gown of gold and her brown hair was pulled back in an intricate braid. When she saw all of them, a dazzling smile broke out on her face. She moved forward gracefully and quickly hugged both of her sons before turning to the random mortals.

Thor introduced them all to her and he introduced her as Frigga. She seemed like an incredibly loving woman who showed each person kindness. Although Odin appeared to be slightly peeved about humans being in Asgard, Frigga seemed thrilled.

"I am sure there is room for you all," continued Frigga happily as she finished greeted everyone.

"Jane can stay with me," stated Thor, making Jane's face turn pink. "Let me show you my chambers!"

Before Jane could protest, Thor grabbed her suitcase and dragged her out the door. Gwen saw Loki roll his eyes.

"You may leave, Loki," said Frigga kindly, sensing his want to leave.

Loki nodded and then left as well. Gwen felt slightly awkward now as both Asgardians she knew were no longer here and she felt as though Odin was judging them all with his one eye.

"Now," continued Frigga, "to get you all chambers."

Gwen and Steve were lead by a handmaiden named Lofn. She had golden hair that flowed down in curls and sharp blue eyes. She was very polite as she led the couple down different golden halls to what Gwen assumed was a guest room.

"If you require anything, ask one of the handmaidens around here," said Lofn as she opened yet another golden door and Gwen and Steve walked in.

"Thank you, ma'am," answered Steve like a gentleman and Gwen nodded at the woman.

After they both stepped into the room, Lofn closed the door and left. Gwen turned away from the door and gasped as she took in the room.

"Holy crap," she muttered.

The room was, no surprise, golden. However, this was far too grand for any guest room. To the right was a large bed that could probably fit at least four people. The sheets were a golden silk with matching pillows. There was a wardrobe on the opposite side along with a dresser and a mirror. A door stood to the left next to the dresser which most likely led to some sort of bathroom.

Gwen was surprised to see how similar the room was to a Midgardian one. The main difference was the balcony that sat beyond some glass doors. The view looked out almost all of Asgard and it was absolutely gorgeous.

"I was not expecting this," said Steve as he pulled their luggage forward and placed it on the bed.

Gwen walked forward and ran her hands over the silk. It was smooth and cold yet felt so good. She then went over to the other door and opened it. Sure enough, it was a bathroom. A gold bathroom. Had Gwen been here on a vacation, it would have been very cool. However, this wasn't a vacation. They were only here until they needed to go back or it was safe to return.

Gwen and Steve spent their time getting used to the room and unpacking their things. Steve insisted it would be smarter to leave their things in the suitcase, but Gwen argued that they were probably staying for a while. Once they were done, it was already becoming dark outside and there was a sudden knock on their door. Gwen leapt up and went to get it, curious to see who it was.

She wasn't expecting Thor.

"There will be a feast!" he exclaimed. "My mother has sent me to show you the way to the dining hall."

"Uh, okay," replied Gwen. "But don't I need to, like, dress nice."

"This is a celebration of the first humans in Asgard. It would be best if you looked like one."

"Alright, then."

Once Gwen informed Steve of what was going on, the two followed Thor through the golden halls of the palace until they reached one of the biggest of them all. Many Aesir had already gathered in this hall and were milling about. Each person was far more beautiful than any human Gwen had ever known. The women wore dressed of different colors, many times matching the color of clothes on the man they were with. Gwen assumed that it was a tradition for them to do so.

There was a boat like chandelier hanging from the ceiling which held dozens of flaming candles. Long tables were everywhere and were filled up with food and drinks, being supplied by what appeared to be servants.

After arriving, Thor wandered off towards Jane who looked rather small and frightened when surrounded by so many Asgardians. Darcy was dancing with Fandral, which Gwen didn't find a surprise. She also recognized Volstagg, who was devouring all sorts of delicious desserts. Hogun was standing on the outskirts of the party, watching over everything with sharp, dark eyes. Sif was with a man who looked as strong as Thor, but wore blue instead of red and had short brown hair.

Gwen wasn't quite sure where to go and noticed that Erik had found Steve and the two were talking together. This left Gwen alone to find something to do.

"Lady Gwendolyn?"

Gwen turned to the sound and saw Sif approaching her. Gwen had no idea the warrior maiden even remembered her or her name, but was pleasantly surprised. Sif was walking over with her brunette friend with a smile on her face. She wore her black hair down and was wearing a silver dress without any other colors. Obviously she was not in a relationship with this other man.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Gwendolyn," said Sif.

"Same here," replied Gwen with an attempt at a smile despite feeling quite intimidated.

"Balder, this is Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn, this is Balder. He is a warrior."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," said Balder politely, taking Gwen's hand and kissing the top of it.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you too."

Balder smiled and it felt as if the room just lit up. Gwen wasn't sure if he was a god in addition to being a warrior and she wouldn't be surprised if he was.

"If you excuse me, my wife, Nanna, is trying to get my attention over there."

Gwen followed Balder's eyes to the other side of the room where a young blonde woman stood with a toddler in her arms. She smiled at them and Balder quickly left to go in that direction.

"He is the god of light and joy," commented Sif as if sensing the confusion Gwen had.

"That would explain it."

"He is also invincible. Nothing can harm him. However, he does not travel to battle often as he worries about his wife and son, Forseti."

"Sif!" called a voice that appeared to be Thor. "Come and drink with us!"

Both women turned to the source of the voice to see Thor and Fandral trying to down as much mead as possible. Sif rolled her eyes and gave Gwen a smile.

"Well, it was nice to see you again. I hope you like it here on Asgard."

Gwen nodded. "I hope so too."

With that, Sif walked over to the men looking incredibly unamused by their game. Gwen stood there for a moment, looking around. She saw that one wall was simply several pillars and on the otherwise was a forest. In front of the forest was a bench and on that bench was a woman with golden hair, reading a book. Gwen realized this was Sigyn.

Gwen decided to step away from the party and headed over to the Vanir. Sigyn seemed so into her book that she didn't know someone was approaching her.

"I don't think I properly thanked you for saving my life," said Gwen sitting down beside her.

Sigyn looked slightly startled, but she seemed to recognize Gwen and relaxed. She closed her book and set it on her lap.

"It was no dilemma," answered Sigyn.

"Shouldn't you be partying?" asked Gwen.

Sigyn looked back inside. "I am not one for feasts. I am simply here because my mother demands it."

"Oh. Which one is your mother?"

"That woman there."

Sigyn pointed to a woman who looked a lot like her with the same golden hair. She wore a dress of periwinkle and had many different jewels hanging from various parts of her body.

"She's got a lot of jewelry," Gwen observed.

"She gets them from my father and other dwarves. Her payment is the reason my sisters and I are here."

Gwen's eyes widened as she realized what Sigyn was implying. "Oh. Uh, who are your sisters?"

"The oldest is Nanna."

"I saw her earlier. Sif says Balder's always worried about her."

Sigyn smiled. "It is rather romantic. Then there is Idunn. That is her over there." Sigyn pointed to a woman with blonde pigtails who Gwen recognized as the woman she saw before with the apples. She stood with a man that had white hair, but still looked very young.

"She is the keeper of the apples of youth," continued Sigyn. "She is married to that man next to her, Bragi. Next is Lofn."

"She showed Steve and I to our room," added Gwen.

Sigyn nodded. "She is a handmaiden for the Queen. Then comes me. My younger sisters are Snotra, Sjofn, Syn and Var. But they are still too young to come, so my grandfather, Njord, is watching them."

"But aren't you royalty? Don't you have servants to do that or something?"

"He likes it."

Gwen nodded. "Can you tell me who some of the other people are?"

"Well, that man over there, the one with hand missing, is Tyr. By the bread is Hod with his brother Hermod. Hod is blind, you see. Over there is Lodur and Hoenir, the All-father's brothers. That goddess is Eir. That man over there that looks like my mother is my uncle Frey with his wife Gerd, that woman is-"

"Sigyn! I've been looking all over for you."

Both women looked up to see Loki approaching them. He had a large smile on his face which turned to confusion when he saw Gwen. The smile returned when his landed back on Sigyn.

"I hope you do not mind me stealing my love from you," he said as he stretched out a hand towards Sigyn.

Gwen bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing at the idea of Loki calling someone his love and shook her head.

Sigyn smiled brightly as she accepted Loki's hand and he pulled her up. He nodded at Gwen politely before wrapping an arm around "his love" and guiding her towards the forest that sat behind them. Gwen watched them leave and saw Loki lean over to Sigyn's ear, whispering something that sent her into a fit of giggles. Gwen quickly looked back at the party, afraid of what she would see if she watched the couple any longer.

Gwen eventually got up and wandered back inside. No one really seemed to notice her. Either they were too drunk or too involved in their conversations.

Out of nowhere, Darcy came up to her.

"Hey, Gwendolyn," she said, holding a wine glass in her hand, "I think your husband's drunk."

Gwen laughed. "He can't get drunk."

"Well then there's something wrong with him."

"Hello, my gorgeous wife!"

Gwen looked over to where Steve's voice came from. It was strange to see him with a glass of Asgardian mead and a huge boyish smile stumbling towards her. Gwen didn't have enough time to react before Steve crushed his lips to hers. She could taste the mead and boy was it strong. She managed to push him back.

"Steve," said Gwen slowly, "how much have you had to drink?"

"Uh...I'm not sure," answered Steve.

"He's so wasted," muttered Darcy.

"He can't get wasted," argued Gwen.

"Then explain this."

Gwen looked back at Steve who was downing the rest of his glass. That's when Gwen nearly slapped herself in the face. All Doctor Erskine had known was that Steve couldn't get drunk from Midgardian alcohol. This was Asgardian. That had never been considered before.

"Fantastic," Gwen mumbled bitterly as she realized her super soldier husband was completely drunk at an Asgardian party.

She then quickly grabbed the glass Steve was holding before he could finish it off and set it on a nearby table.

"I think that's enough," Gwen stated.

"What?" asked Steve, looking at his now empty hand in confusion.

Gwen took his hands in hers and started pulling him towards the exit.

"Steve," she said slowly, "I think it's time for bed."

Steve shook his head. "I'm fine. Let's stay up all night."

"No, we need to go to bed."

"But I don't wanna sleep!"

Gwen felt like she was dealing with a five year old. "Let just retire to our room then, okay?"

Steve contemplated this for a moment before finally nodding.

After saying goodnight to the others, and earning a wink from Darcy, Gwen took Steve to their "chambers." She had to help him walk most of the time as he would either stumble or get distracted by something. It felt like hours by the time they got their and all Gwen wanted to do was flop down on the bed and sleep for days. She really needed it.

However, Steve didn't seem keen on sleeping.

The moment the couple got inside and closed the door, Steve's lips were on hungrily on Gwen's again. At first she tried to squirm out of his grip, but she eventually gave in.

When Steve eventually pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers and pulled her close to him.

"I love you," he whispered before kissing her again.

This one was much more gentle and loving. It was also rather short, therefore giving Gwen the chance to talk.

"Steve, we should really go to sleep," she noted.

"We could..."

Before Steve could kiss her again, Gwen slipped away, leaving him looking disappointed.

"Let me change first," said Gwen, an idea popping into her head. "You wait on the bed."

Steve's grin reappeared as he nodded. Gwen returned the smile as she backed into the bathroom and closed the door. He waited about ten minutes before walking out and finding Steve, just as she suspected, fast asleep on the bed. Soft snores came from him as his chest elevated with each breath. Gwen smiled to herself as she changed into some pajamas before climbing into bed beside him and curling up next to him. She knew she had to enjoy this now before she had to deal with the hangover that was guaranteed to come the next morning. But until then, she laid her head on his chest and fell asleep.

* * *

"Can't do it. Cannot do it."

Ben Grimm continued to look out the binoculars he held in his hands which were focused on the one and only Johnny Storm as the womanizer rode up on his motorcycle.

"External SRBs, orbital system engines. Its just like the shuttles you flew in -"

"No," Ben cut off Reed, "I cannot take orders from that underwear model. That wingnut washed out of NASA for sneaking two Victoria Secret wannabes into a flight simulator."

"Youthful high spirits."

"They crashed it into a wall. A flight simulator."

"When have I asked you to do something you absolutely couldn't do?" Reed asked.

Ben began to walk off. "Five times."

"I had it at four," Reed called after him with a confused expression.

"Well this makes five!"

In the locker room, Ben was packing his things into a locker while Reed did some last minute research.

"Captain on the bridge!"

Both Ben and Reed looked up at the voice. Ben's instincts kicked in as he stood at attention only to get a flash in his face.

"Digital camera: $254. Memory stick: $59. The look on your hard-ass former CO's face when he finds out he's your junior officer: priceless."

The well-known Johnny stepped in, wearing his skin tight suit for space travel, and sat down with a cocky smile.

Ben reached over to him as if to grab him, but at the last moment he gripped Johnny's zipper and zipped him up.

"Thank you, that's very kind," said Johnny, still smirking.

"I can handle this ship," replied Ben, "I can even handle Mr. Blonde Ambition here, but I don't know if I should be flying or doing Swan Lake in these suits! I mean who came up with these?"

"Victor did," came Sue's voice from the door. She walked in, also wearing her skin tight suit, holding three gray suits. "The synthetics act as a second skin, adapting to your individual needs."

"That means it keeps the hot stuff hot, and the cool stuff cool," Johnny said, demonstrating with his hands for Ben.

Ben narrowed his eyes before turning back to his locker.

"Wow, fantastic.' said Reed, staring at Sue and walking over to her. "Material made from self-regulating unstable molecules. I've been working on a formula for this!"

Reed took Ben's suit and examined it as he walked back to his seat. Sue's face expressed hurt from the lack of Reed's attention.

"Great minds think alike," she said sadly as she began handing out the gray flight suits to each of them.

Each person changed into their gray suits before heading off for space.

"If you behave, maybe next time daddy'll let you drive," joked Johnny as he walked with Ben after arriving at the space station.

"Keep talking like that and there won't be a next time," Ben warned him in return. Once they reached the main section of the station, the two placed the cases on the floor, followed by the others.

"We can monitor the clouds approach and observe the tests from here," explained Sue, tapping a code into one of the computers attached to the wall. Ben walked over to Reed, unzipping his jacket.

"Is it safe?" he asked.

"The shields on the station should protect us," Reed answered.

Ben looked at him quizzically and folded his arms. "Should? Should doesn't make me feel safe Reed."

Victor ventured over to them lazily, leaning on the rail a few feet away.

"What's wrong Ben? Eighty million dollars worth of equipment not enough for you?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow and giving him a fake smile.

Ben turned to him and the tension became thick enough to be cut by a knife.

"Let's start loading those samples" interjected Reed, "Get your suit ready Ben."

"So you still do all the heavy lifting?" Ben halted.

Victor smirked at Ben, before he addressed Reed.

"Maybe you should have stayed back in the lab," he jabbed. "Field work never suited you."

Ben strode forward and stood just in front of Reed.

"He does the talking, I do the walking, got it?" he threatened.

"So take a walk," Victor challenged.

Ben was tense before finally letting it go.

"Actually, I'd like to borrow Susan for a moment, if you don't mind," Victor continued, straightening up and looking Sue.

"Of course," said Reed awkwardly before following Ben, and leaving Victor and Susan alone. Reed went off to check what data they were picking up while Ben went towards the airlock to find Johnny already there, facing away from him and typing away at the controls.

Johnny finally turned around and began to help Ben into the massive suit he was to wear out in space.

"Please tell me your guy's not trying to rekindle things with my sister," Johnny asked Ben.

"Course not," Ben replied. "Strictly business."

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, well his eyes say different."

"Hey," said Ben, stopping Johnny's hand with his own and looked at him seriously, "two hearts got busted last time. Maybe she's not over it either."

"Wow Dr. Phil, that's deep," he mocked, as Ben sighed, releasing his hand. "Well, let's see: you got Victor, stud of the year, more money than God, or you got Reed, world's dumbest smart guy, worth less than a postage stamp? Geez, that's a real toss up."

They stepped into the airlock, and Johnny handed Ben the plants, before stepping back through.

"Don't trouble your tiny little mind," said Ben.

"Don't wonder off now boy," joked Johnny as he shut the inner doors, shutting Ben off from him, before pushing the button for the outer doors, then watching Ben go.

Johnny gave a mock salute as they opened. Ben turned around gliding out of the doors. After a few moments of waiting, Reed suddenly burst through the door looking very worried. He ran up to the window to look out at Ben.

"Ben, you need to get back in here now!" he demanded.

Johnny had a look of confusion before he turned and saw the cloud heading towards Ben.

"I ain't done arranging your flowers, egghead," Ben replied.

"Ben, this is not a joke. Turn around," Reed answered.

Ben turned around and saw the storm himself.

"Guys, I'm not gunna make it," Ben said as he judged the distance between himself and the door.

"Ben, you got to jump!" Johnny yelled. "It's the only way!"

Ben jumped, slowly drifting towards the doors, but the storm was right behind him. It was already hitting the exterior of the station.

"Okay, Johnny, get ready to close the portal," Reed said.

Ben was getting closer and closer, but so was the storm.

Then it hit.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Sorry this took so long again. I kinda got caught up with Supernatural and the Hobbit. I'm sorry it's not very long. With Christmas break coming up I promise I'll be writing more.**

**LianaDare8: Don't worry, I will never give up!**

**stinkysox: Thank you! God I love his singing. I totally freaked out when I saw he was going to sing.**

**The Red Dove: You'll just have to read and find out muahahah**

**12141998: Thank you! I can't wait for them either, they have such wonderful personalities.**

**Phantom-Demon: Gosh I hate things without railings. I'm glad you liked the Loki/Sigyn, I'm a sucker for fluff with them two.**

**Itsgoose2u: Thank you! He certainly was adorable. It should be illegal.**

**Kima Wolfwood: Thank you! I'm very glad you liked it.**

**thesilversoldier: Thank you very much!**

**Arrows the Wolf: Internet problems suck. I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

**RealMcCoy16: Thank you very much!**

**DayDreamer1212: Thank you so much! It is ironic haha. I wish that they could do that in movie!verse. That'd be hilarious.**

**Justasmalltowngirl2713: I knew you'd like it. By the way it's currently snowing. And it's gross. And it took me like 20 tries to type your penname because my fingers are stupid.**

**Lendtustic: Thank you! And I did see the Hobbit. I loved it so much (especially Kili)**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

When Gwen woke up, she almost forgot that she was in another realm. It was rather confusing to wake up in an unfamiliar, though far more comfy, bed. Steve was still asleep beside her, his regular clothes still on. He really hadn't moved during the night, so Gwen figured he'd been out cold the entire time.

After stretching her limbs, Gwen got up and took a nice bath in the, obviously, golden bathtub. It was a nice form of relaxation. All the stress of the past few weeks went away, making her wonder if the water was magical. Once she was done, she dried her hair off and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans.

She went back into the bedroom to find Steve beginning to stir. He groaned as he lifted his head up and saw the light coming in through the balcony. He then shut his eyes and hid his face in the pillow.

"Turn off the sun," he complained.

"No can do," replied Gwen, sitting down on the bed next to him. "It's your fault you got drunk."

"I got drunk?"

"What, you don't even remember?"

Steve groaned again. "I remember accepting Thor's drinking challenge. I figured I'd win since I can't get drunk."

"But it's Asgardian mead."

"I know that now."

Gwen stifled laughter. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my head's going to explode."

"I'm sure they have a doctor that can help. Or a healer, whatever they call them."

It appeared that Gwen was right. Within ten minutes, a servant arrived with some type of liquid in a glass that was made by a healer and sent by the request of Thor along with a congratulations on winning the challenge. Steve didn't seem too proud of winning it and quickly grabbed the glass and drank it.

"That's incredible," he stated after a few minutes.

"Feeling better?" asked Gwen.

"Loads."

* * *

Once Steve had gotten ready, the two headed back to the dining hall where apparently breakfast was being served. Gwen felt uncomfortable with the idea of servants giving them their food, but she tried to get past it. This was how it was going to be while she was here. She had to learn to deal with it.

The two managed to make their way there without getting lost. Once inside the grand room, Gwen found it had changed from the previous night and now had one long table in the center. At the head was Odin and to his right was Frigga and Erik. Across from her was Thor and Jane. Towards the middle was Sif, the Warriors Three and Darcy. At the opposite end of the table was Loki and Sigyn.

Gwen and Steve sat across from Loki and Sigyn. The two looked tired, most likely from staying up too late. Before Gwen could even greet them, a servant came and placed two dishes in front of her and Steve. On it seemed to be the Asgardian equivalent of bacon, except it was more red and straight. The servant disappeared as fast as she came.

"You are not required to thank them," commented Loki when he saw how confused Gwen was.

"But it's the polite thing to do," argued Gwen.

"They are simply servants."

"She is right, Loki," agreed Sigyn. "It is polite."

Loki now looked thoroughly confused as to why Sigyn would not take his side.

"In Vanaheim, we were always gracious," she added. "Besides, with the vafi stormr coming, they will have extra work to complete."

"What's a vafi stormr?" asked Gwen.

"It means chaos storm," answered Loki. "It comes by every year. It also opens up Asgard for attacks due to the guards having to be inside."

Gwen felt like groaning and complaining. Of all times they were to travel to another realm, it was when a really bad storm was coming and an attack could potentially take place.

"How long until it gets here?

"It should arrive by nightfall," replied Loki. "Everyone will be advised to stay indoors until it passes and it is safe."

"Safe?" repeated Steve.

"It is common that an enemy of ours will take advantage of this storm and attack while the guards have left their post for safety."

Gwen looked up at Steve whose eyes mirrored her concern.

"Why would Thor bring us here then?" Gwen asked.

"Because he is an idiot," answered Loki, picking at his breakfast.

"_Loki_," scolded Sigyn.

Loki sighed. "I tried to tell him, but he became arrogant and said that he could take any enemy. I believe that Jane must be stoking his ego. Or perhaps Stark as a joke."

"Everything will be fine," argued Sigyn, seeming to hate the depressing mood Loki was in. "No one would attack us. I hear that the Allfather has made a solution to the problem anyway. I am certain Asgard is safe."

"That is what we thought before the Vanir attacked," Loki muttered bitterly.

Sigyn rolled her eyes and mouthed "He gets like this sometimes," to Gwen.

After breakfast, Darcy went off with the Warriors Three and Sif. Thor asked Jane if she would like to take a walk with him to the rainbow bridge along with Erik and she accepted. Sigyn dragged Loki away, though it certainly looked willingly, and the King and Queen returned to their duties, leaving Gwen and Steve to wander on their own.

"I wish it was this beautiful on Earth," commented Gwen when they found a small beach and decided to stay there on the sand until forced to head inside.

Steve ran a hand through his hair. "It can be."

Gwen looked over at him with a furrowed brow. "What d'you mean?"

"We should go somewhere," he continued. "Somewhere nice."

"We're involved with SHIELD; we can't go somewhere nice."

Steve turned to her now. "I mean it. After all of this that's happened, you deserve it."

"And you don't?"

"I'm just saying, you could use a little vacation."

Gwen looked back out at the choppy water. "Our honeymoon was like a month ago, Steve."

"Yeah, but since then you had to go to my funeral."

Gwen felt a pang of pain in her chest when Steve mentioned the funeral. She really just wanted to forget that ever happened.

"Where would we go?" she asked. "If Fury didn't kill us first, I mean."

Steve shrugged. "A place where we'd be alone. Just us. No SHIELD, no Avengers, just us."

"That sounds so nice, but highly unlikely. The world thinks you're dead. That's the whole point of us being here."

"Maybe when it's all over-"

"Will anything ever be over?" Gwen snapped suddenly, cutting a surprised Steve off.

"Uh, what?"

Gwen sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Sometimes I wish I had never joined SHIELD. I would still be in Malibu, working for Tony. I wouldn't be worrying about whether or not I'll make it through the day alive. I would be sitting behind a desk all day, praying that Tony doesn't do anything stupid. Maybe some of this stuff would've never happened."

Steve was silent for a moment once Gwen finished. She suddenly regretted voicing what she was feeling at the moment when she realized she indirectly said she would have rather not met Steve, even though she didn't mean that at all.

"I just don't feel like I'm supposed to be doing this," she added softly, not even realizing she felt that way until she said it.

Gwen closed her eyes and listened to the waves as she began to slowly turn violent as the storm started approaching. Out if nowhere, a nice warm arm snaked around her and pulled her close to him. She leaned into his side curled up next to him as best as she could.

* * *

Once the sky started getting darker and the clouds more menacing, Gwen and Steve began to head back inside. Lunch went by and neither Loki nor Sigyn were present. Sif explained that Loki was in one of his moods and Sigyn took him horseback riding to calm him down. The female warrior started chuckling when she talked about how much Loki loved horses, reminding Gwen of what Thor had said. But before she could ask what happened, the food arrived and all was forgotten.

The storm arrived in the afternoon and Gwen and Steve went back to their room to listen to it. The two laid on the bed as lightning that rivaled Thor's flashed from outside and thunder shook the palace. She really wished New York would have storms like this.

Loki and Sigyn were back at dinner, though Loki looked rather on edge. He was no longer bitter, but instead seemed to be watching for something or perhaps someone. Gwen kept quiet about it, not wanting Loki to go back into his mood. Sigyn looked exhausted from trying to get him to stop being a PMS-ing woman.

Thor insisted they all listen to stories from Odin about Asgard that night which Gwen found incredibly interesting. She knew if Tony had been there, he would have been trying prove how Yggdrasil couldn't possibly exist. Once it was over, Gwen and Steve headed back to their room and cuddled up next to each other in bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Gwen found herself waking up several hours later. Her head rested on Steve's chest and she could hear his strong heart beating. His arms were wrapped protectively around her as he held her close. Gwen closed her eyes in hopes she would drift back to sleep quickly, but it appeared that wasn't going to work. Sighing, Gwen expertly slipped out of her husband's grip. She moved off the bed and slipped on some tennis shoes which looked strange with he pajama bottoms, but she didn't care. She then grabbed a sweatshirt and pulled it over her head before leaving their chambers and heading down the hall.

The hall was illuminated by several large candles that burned on either side of her. They spaced out enough so that she was never covered in darkness. A large rumble of thunder shook the floor and Gwen wondered how anyone could sleep through this. She loved storms, but this one certainly sounded dangerous.

Gwen reached the end of the hall and took a right, trying to memorize the way she was going so she wouldn't get lost on the way back. The halls were eerily quiet except for the daggers of rain drops hitting the outside walls and the sound of Gwen's footsteps. She shoved her hands in the front pocket of her hoodie as she wandered, taking in all of the beautiful architecture.

However, just as Gwen was about to make another right, she heard voices coming from the left. Gwen didn't want to eavesdrop on anyone, but stopped in her tracks as some words traveled through the air to her.

"I thought you said the guards would be gone!" exclaimed an aggravated female voice.

Gwen slowly turned around and debated whether to listen or pretend she didn't hear anything. However, she could've sworn a voice was whispering for her to go and listen. And so that's what she did.

"I had no idea that they had found a way to shield themselves from the storm!" exclaimed a deep male voice. "If I had, I would have warned you, Amora."

Gwen's heart froze in her chest as she pressed her back up against the cool wall. What in the world was Amora doing here? Gwen knew she should go and get someone, but she didn't want to stop listening.

"If you had not messed this up, the dark elves would be marching into Asgard right this minute!" Amora nearly shouted.

"Be quiet, will you!" demanded the man in a hushed voice. "Odin has eyes everywhere."

"He has an all seeing sight, you baboon! Of course he has eyes everywhere! Mimir can too, you know. If the Allfather doesn't sense anything yet, that Jotunheim will."

"I promise, Amora, that Asgard will fall. Just allow me enough time-"

"I have given you enough time! My patience is wearing thin, warrior! I want my throne!"

Gwen suddenly heard a door creak and she heard the two arguing people gasp in surprise.

"Do you think they heard us?" asked the man.

"I am unsure," answered the woman. "Put I'll send out a sleeping spell just in case."

Before Gwen could move away from the wall, she heard the woman chant something in old Norse and Gwen's eyes became incredibly heavy. Without fighting it, sleep overtook her and she slumped to the floor.

* * *

If there was anything Schmidt hated more than Captain America, it was planes. No, he didn't have a fear of heights nor a fear of crashing. His first defeat had been on a plane and if it weren't for that plane, Captain America would have died long ago. But that problem was out of the way. He really didn't care if Rumlow was captured or not as it would save him money and he really just didn't care.

The small jet he rode in was perfect for a few people, though he was the only passenger. He sat in the front in a large leather seat, his feet placed upon a beige carpeted floor. Dvorak's New World Symphony played throughout the jet. Schmidt held a small glass full of wine and ice cubes as he awaited his arrival.

MODOK and all of Schmidt's best lieutenants had already left AIM Island and headed to their second base on the Isle of Exiles. Apparently after the war, many former HYDRA soldiers had escaped there and Schmidt saw opportunity with it. If he could train the natives to fight, perhaps his army could expand. Now that Captain America was gone, his courage and drive had increased ten fold. There was no doubt that SHIELD was uncertain of what do without their precious Captain. With an army, Schmidt could watch them burn.

And with a smile, Schmidt leaned back and enjoyed the rest of his flight while skimming through the files of a certain Elizabeth Ross.

* * *

**I would just like to take a moment to point out something.**

**One, vafi stormr is not an actual thing. I completely made it up. However, they are both words in old Norse and vafi does mean chaos and stormr does mean storm.**


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**I once again apologize for the wait. I have two more finals to take for the semester so once that's over I shall have more time to write. Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. Last year was really crappy, but at least this year we get Iron Man 3, Star Trek (God bless the Cumberbatch (and Karl Urban because he's the best young Bones a person could ask for)), Man of Steel, the Wolverine, Thor 2, Catching Fire and the next Hobbit film.**

**The Red Dove: Muahahah...haha goofworm I like that.**

**Lollypops101: Knowing Bruce he'd blame himself. Silly Bruce.**

**Arrows the Wolf: I'm glad you liked that haha.**

**Phantom-Demon: Oh man, I didn't even think of that. That would be interesting. Thanks so much for understanding. It had been pretty hectic.**

**stinkysox: Thank you so much! I tried my best with the storm and was thankful I recently did a major project on Norse mythology.**

**Kima Wolfwood: Thank you! I'm glad you like those scenes. Hopefully I'll be able to write fluffier ones in the future.**

**thesilversoldier: Thank you! I had to have Amora come back and what better way than in Asgard.**

**Itsgoose2u: Thank you! Oh, Steve will certainly find a way. There's no way he'd let it go.**

**MysticRyter: Why, thank you! I uses to play Pokemon when I was younger, but not so much now.**

**LianaDare8: The Hobbit was amazing (especially Kili). Don't worry, Gwen wasn't kidnapped. And she'll be over that soon. I just needed to add some internal conflict. Hmm, I like the idea of Gwen having a side-kick. I'll have to think about that.**

**Romantic . King: Thank you very much! Wow, I'm very touched by that. I really hope that happens to me in the future. I'm from Wisconsin, I don't mind at all.**

**Hanna: Muahahaha. That's quite alright. You'll find out about Amora soon. Haha that's not weird at all. I'm in love with Deadpool. It seems I tend to go for fictional psychos.**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

It was always a weird sight when Fury was out in public during the day. His dark and mysterious appearance always contrasted with the bright and happy vibe of the firey sun.

Fury exited the SHIELD vehicle that had brought him to this part of the city and stared up at the building before him. He wasn't nervous to enter it, nor nervous to meet the people that were residing at the top. Instead, he was dreading it. He was really starting to get tired of all of these superheroes popping up all over the place. At this rate, SHIELD was going to run out of room.

Closing the car door behind him, Fury began to stride up to the front door of the Baxter Building. He entered the lobby and saw that some paparazzi and film crews were still lingering around in order to catch a glimpse of what was being called the "Fantastic Four." Granted they were rather fantastic from what Fury had seen on several news channels, but he didn't like the idea of them becoming a media thing. Tony was already more than enough in that department.

Fury attracted gazes from many eyes as his trench cost billowed behind him. He ignored them all and entered the elevator, placing his hands behind his back after he selected the top floor. The elevator doors slid shut and the box began moving upwards.

After the ride was over and the elevator opened, Fury was greeted to his destination. This was the top floor of the Baxter Building and it held the four people he was looking for. It seemed none of them had even noticed he was there as they seemed pretty engaged in conversation except for the man that was playing with his phone while sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on a nearby table. Then there was another man with dark hair and gray streaks at the sides and one last man who appeared to be a walking orange boulder. Last was a blonde woman who seemed business-like and rather annoyed with the others.

"That was some interesting stuff you guys did on the bridge," Fury greeted, interrupting what was going on.

All four looked up at Fury who strode forward with his hands clasped behind his back.

"How did you - who are you?" asked the man Fury knew as Reed.

"I'm Director Nick Fury of SHIELD. I'm here to discuss the Avengers with you."

"I knew it!" exclaimed the man named Jonathan.

"Johnny, don't start," pleaded the woman, Susan.

"But what did I say?" he continued with a huge smile on his face. "I told you guys they'd be asking us to join them."

"This isn't some publicity act, Johnny," said Reed in a warning voice.

"Doctor Richards is right," agreed Fury. "I'm here to ask you to help us if we need it."

"No one's helping no one 'til Reed gets me fixed," argued Ben.

"Yeah, well, SHIELD happens to have access to technology beyond even Stark's daydreams. Speaking of Stark, I'm sure he'd be happy to help your research as well as some other scientists. We have the best in the world. But you will only get this if you agree to join the Avengers."

"I'm in," said Johnny, putting his feet down.

"Johnny," scolded Sue, "we have to make this decision as a group."

"What decision is there to make?"

"We wouldn't be joining to play superheroes," Ben pointed out.

"I know, I know," defended Johnny, putting his hands up. "I'm just saying that'd it be a good opportunity. I don't see a reason to say no."

Reed sighed and they all looked towards him. Fury couldn't help but realize that he must've taken the role as the leader of the group. The decision seemed to ultimately rest on him.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get some extra help," he admitted slowly, ignoring Sue's eye roll.

Johnny fist pumped the air. "Yes! The Fantastic Four are now Avengers."

"Johnny," Sue scolded.

"Don't worry, Susie," grunted Ben, "I'll get a good punch at him."

"So it's settled then?" asked Fury, tapping his foot impatiently.

They all looked back at Reed, the scientist only looked at Sue. She sighed and then nodded, signaling her approval. Reed then returned his gaze to Fury.

"We'll join," Reed stated.

"Good," said Fury. "A car will be by tomorrow to bring you to meet with Stark. Until then, good luck."

After exchanging goodbyes and Fury resisting the urge the punch Johnny in the throat, the trench coated man finally left. As Fury stepped out of the elevator and began walking towards the door, his phone began ringing. Feeling unsure as there were many possibilities for it to ring, he quickly slid it out of a pocket and answered it.

"What is it?" he greeted.

"Sir, we have a problem," said Maria's worried voice on the other line.

"Care to tell me?"

"The suspect that shot Captain Rogers escaped."

"Wha - are you kidding me?"

"No, sir. He killed several agents and stole a Quinjet. I got a tracker on him and we're trying to find his location now."

"Good, I'm on my way."

* * *

"Gwen! Gwen wake up!"

Gwen's eyes flew open. She blinked several times as her surroundings came into focus. Before her was a very worried looking Steve as well Sif, her dark eyes full of concern. Loki stood behind them all, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What were you thinking?" asked Steve angrily, though there was relied evident on his face.

"I just took a walk..." Gwen muttered almost to herself as she furrowed her brow.

"And you thought it was a good idea to just fall asleep here?"

"Captain, I am sure there was a reason," cut in Sif.

Gwen furrowed her brow again as she tried to remember what happened.

"I took a walk," she continued, "and I heard voices."

"Could you tell who they were?" asked Steve.

"No, so I got closer and...it was Amora and a man I'd never heard before."

"Amora was here?" Loki asked angrily, shooting forward.

"Yeah, they were talking about taking over Asgard."

Loki suddenly turned and walked down the hall at a fast pace, his boots dragging on the cold floor.

"Where's he off to?" asked Gwen as Steve helped her up.

"To Folkvang," answered Sif. "It is the hall of Freyja. Loki is more than likely seeing if Sigyn is alright."

"Is he still all worked up about that threat Amora made?"

Sif nodded. "He fears that Sigyn will always be in danger until Amora is killed."

Gwen didn't know how to respond. She had to admit, she felt like she was in a similar position. AIM was never going to stop targeting Steve until they were destroyed. It was only a matter of time before they realized that Steve was still alive.

"You will have to tell the Allfather of what you heard," continued Sif. "Hopefully he is still at breakfast."

"Wait, I missed breakfast?" asked Gwen sadly.

"Well, it was how we noticed you were missing," said Steve. "When I woke up and you weren't at breakfast-"

"Wait, did I miss breakfast?" Gwen interrupted.

Steve laughed at his wife's choice of priorities and shook his head. Gwen sighed with relief, feeling her stomach threaten to growl at the idea of eating something.

"I'm starving," she said, voicing her thoughts.

"You can both go," Sif stated, a determined look in her eyes. "I will go see if I can find a trace of the Enchantress."

Both Gwen and Steve nodded and the female warrior gave a smile before turning around, her slick black ponytail whipping around with the movement. Steve wove his fingers through Gwen's and he tugged on her arm to get her to move towards their room so she could change out of her pajamas.

"Are you okay?" he asked as they neared it.

"I'm fine," answered Gwen truthfully.

There was, however, one thing that bother Gwen besides what she had overheard. It was the voice she thought she heard. It hadn't been very clear, but she had gotten the general idea. It told her to listen to Amora and her accomplice. It sounded male, but she wasn't quite sure. Perhaps the voice was female. Gwen shook her head as Steve opened the door for her like a gentleman. She couldn't have heard a voice anyway. That would've been insane.

Gwen changed into a t-shirt, jeans, and Converse before heading out again with her husband. From a quick glance out onto the balcony, it appeared the storm had passed. It was still slightly gloomy over the realm of Asgard, but there was no more rain pelting down like bullets and the only flashes of lightning came from a distance.

Steve still seemed concerned for Gwen, but she was used to his overprotective tendencies at this point. If anything, she knew how to milk injuries so that he'd do all housework and chores. It was easier than getting upset over his overwhelming concern.

The couple made I to the dining hall just as breakfast appeared to be ending, but no one was going anywhere. Odin was standing off to the side with Thor and Loki, the former clenching his fists and the latter looking like he could kill the first person that pissed him off. Gwen saw Sigyn chatting with Jane and Erik, the goddess wearing a large grin on her face. At least that meant Amora hadn't gotten to her. Darcy was with the Warriors Three at the table, still chowing down on what was left. Frigga was nowhere to be seen.

"Captain Rogers and Gwendolyn have arrived," stated Thor, a frown etched on his face.

Odin's one eye bore into them and Gwen shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet under his stare. Loki straightened, looking as though he was trying to calm himself. All conversations came to a sudden end.

"Lady Sif told us of what happened," Sigyn said, breaking the silence and hurrying over to Gwen, "are you alright?"

Gwen was touched by Sigyn's concern, considering the fact the two only had one real conversation together. Her blue eyes were wide and her forehead was wrinkled with worry.

"I'm fine, thanks," Gwen answered with an attempt at a small smile, feeling incredibly uncomfortable with everyone staring.

"I followed Amora's trace to Folkvang," Loki said, cutting the tension that had risen. "It lingered near Sigyn's chambers, but perhaps something scared her off."

"Maybe a guard saw her," contemplated Hogun.

"She is not scared of any guards," Thor argued.

"She could be playing tricks," suggested Darcy. "Maybe she's just trying to freak you guys out."

"But if she is trying to take over Asgard-"

"She will not succeed," Odin cut Thor off. "Amora has other enemies that are out allies."

"Just as she has allies that are our enemies!" exclaimed Volstagg.

Odin sighed and shook his head. "If you are speaking of the Dark Elves, I can guarantee they are of no threat to us."

"As of now," Fandral muttered, narrowing his eyes as the table.

"I cannot find any trace of her leaving Asgard," came Sif's voice loudly as she entered the hall. "However, Tyr has an interesting story."

Sif was followed by the one handed man that Sigyn had pointed out. His face was blank and surrounded by two black braids of hair. Sif stopped as she reached the table and Tyr stopped beside her.

"If you are here, who is watching Fenrir?" asked Loki, his voice laced with poison.

"Balder is filling my position," answered Tyr coldly, making Gwen assume there was something bad between them.

However, Gwen didn't have long to dwell on this. Something was odd about Tyr's voice. It wasn't just that it was cold towards Loki, but it almost sounded...familiar. She hadn't heard him speak before, had she?

"Did you see anything?" Thor asked the other warrior.

"I believe I saw Amora conversing with a Crimson Hawk," replied Tyr. "I was unable to recognize him, but I heard something."

Gwen's heart started racing in her chest. His voice. She knew his voice. She knew exactly where she heard it.

"What did you hear?" asked Odin.

"The Crimson Hawk said, 'I'll set him free.'"

"Did you hear that, too, Gwendolyn?" asked Sif.

Everyone now looked at Gwen, but her gaze stayed on Tyr.

"Gwen, is something wrong?" inquired Steve, concern flowing through his words.

"I heard his voice," Gwen answered. "I heard Tyr's voice."

Everyone's eyes turned to Tyr who looked worried for a split second, but then smiled. He looked like he wanted to laugh. It made Gwen feel furious and, from what she could see, made Loki furious as well.

"I am not affiliated with the Enchantress," Tyr said in a booming voice.

"Tyr is a marvelous warrior," added Odin with an accusing glare towards Gwen. "He gave his hand to tie up Fenrir and watches over him."

"I know what I heard," Gwen argued.

"Tyr is a friend," Volstagg said.

"I would not rebel against my realm," defended Tyr.

"But-"

"That is enough!" Odin interrupted Gwen. "Tyr is not an enemy. That is final."

Gwen glanced back at Tyr and shivered under his gaze. He knew she was right. She could've sworn the corners of his lips twitched upwards in an eerie smile. But no one was going to believe her.

No one.

* * *

Later that night, Gwen laid on her back on the bed in their room staring at the gold ceiling. She was tired of gold. She was tired of Aesir. She hated to admit it, but she was tired of Asgard. Gwen really wanted to go home, where Tony and the others would believe her. Instead she was stuck in another realm where only a few others, mainly Steve, stuck by her side.

"It'll be okay," comforted Steve as he kicked off his shoes and climbed on the bed next to her.

"No it won't, they think I've gone insane," argued Gwen, sitting up. She suddenly remembered the voice in her head from the previous night. "Then again, I might be."

Steve sighed. "Listen, when we go back, I promise to take you somewhere. Just you and me."

Gwen felt embarrassment creep up as she remembered the conversation she had with Steve the day before. Everything had just come pouring out and Gwen didn't even know where it had all come from. It was true, at some points she wished she wasn't involved with SHIELD and hasn't actually taken a job at Stark Industries, but there were moments when she thanked God for everything that had happened to her.

"I'll be fine," said Gwen unconvincingly.

"No, I'm serious." Steve sure did look serious.

"What if-"

"I don't give a damn about 'what ifs.'" Gwen was slightly shocked by Steve's sudden sternness. "You've been through hell in the past few months. You've given SHIELD everything and nothing is given to you. They interrupted our wedding, Gwen. Did we get a thank you for dropping everything and assisting? No. I'm not looking for thank you's, though. I want you to be happy, Gwen. I want you to have a time when you're not thinking about everything we're fighting against. If Fury argues with me, he can kiss my ass. The Avengers stopped an alien invasion when there was only six members! He can survive without us for a while."

Steve looked worked up after he ended his rant. Gwen's mouth was parted slightly in surprise and her eyes had become green saucers. She couldn't believe Steve had just berated SHIELD or really any type of organization that helps the world. She never pictured Steve ever standing up to them for personal reasons such as needing time off.

"I'm sorry," he blurted quickly, looking sheepish at her lack of speech.

"Don't be sorry," Gwen finally said with a laugh. "Actually...that was sexy."

Steve laughed now, a boyish smile stretching across his face. Gwen loved that smile more than any other. She watched as Steve turned away, looking a bit embarrassed. She then took his face in her hands and kissed him. At first he seemed a bit tense, probably due to his rant, but as Gwen deepened the kiss and wove her fingers through his hair. He relaxed then and slipped an arm around her waist to pill her closer before pulling her down onto the bed.

"You're not insane," Steve mumbled when they separated. "I believe you one hundred perfect."

Gwen smiled and kissed him again.

* * *

It was dark out as Peter sat at the kitchen table, finishing up a snack. The television was on, but he wasn't paying any attention to it. Instead, he was struggling to keep the chips he was eating to stop sticking to his fingers.

Peter didn't even hear Aunt May come in and sit down across from him. When he finally looked up he saw that she had a worried look on her face. Her dark hair was pulled back and her eyes bore into his. There were bags under her eyes, indicating she still wasn't sleeping well, but Peter certainly didn't blame her.

"Peter," she started, "we need to talk."

Peter swallowed the chip he was eating. "Okay..."

"You're about the graduate high school."

Peter nodded. "Uh...yeah?"

"And you'll be going off to college in fall."

"Yes."

"Now, scholarships are paying for that, but what are you going to do about everything else?"

Peter shrugged, sticking a chip in his mouth. "Haven't thought about it."

Aunt May sighed and took the bag away, causing Peter to exclaim, "Hey!"

"Peter, this is serious," she scolded with a frown on her lips. "You need a job."

Peter nearly choked. "A job?"

"Yes, a job! You'll need money!"

"But what about you?"

Aunt May rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to feed you the money forever, Peter. You're a grown man now."

"Aunt May, I can't work a washing machine."

"What does that have to do with a job?"

Peter shook his head. "I'll find one, okay? Just...let me graduate first."

"Alright." Aunt May yawned and kissed his cheek before heading off to bed.

Peter glanced over at the television for a second and furrowed his brow at what he saw.

"It appears that some sort of...dinosaur-esque creature is attacking the Williamsburg Bridge," said a reporter as footage played showing the bridge and the many cars.

Peter's heart began thumping as he realized people were in danger and the other Avengers hadn't acted yet. He needed to do something fast. Peter quickly rushed upstairs and shredded his clothing, revealing his Spider-Man suit beneath. He pulled the mask over his head and activated his web slingers before opening his window and leaping out into the night.

When Peter arrived on the bridge, it was quickly turning into a disaster. He could see the Lizard pushing cars aside to make a path, looking in each one. He was obviously searching for something.

Suddenly, one of the cars flew off the bridge. Without hesitation, Peter dove after it, one hand shooting a web to keep him from falling to his death, the other shooting a web to stop the car. He quickly attached the other end of the web to the bridge, leaving the car suspended. Before he could attempt a rescue of the people inside, more cars were being thrown off.

"Where's Stark when you need him?" Peter asked himself as he swung towards the other cars and used his webbing to stop them.

After a few minutes, Peter successfully saved several cars and spotted the Lizard who was currently holding a black car. He shot another web and swung towards him, taking a shot at hitting him.

"Incoming!" he shouted as he put his legs out and kicked the Lizard, causing it to drop the car over the edge and fly backwards.

Peter quickly shot it another web to stop the car and attached the other end to he bridge. He remained crouched on the edge and looked behind him where the Lizard stood. He could just see its head above a turned over vehicle.

"Somebody help!" shouted a male voice from the other direction. "Help me! My kid is trapped!"

Peter whipped around to see a concerned looking man pointing down at one of the cars. Forgetting about the Lizard, who was now crawling away, Peter sprung into action. He swung towards the van that the man had been signaling to and landed on the end and ripped off the door. He could hear the kid inside yelling for help.

"Hey, hey buddy!" he called.

The boy looked back and in his panic didn't recognize that this was Spider-Man and instead panicked more.

"Hey, it's alright!" Peter then took off his mask. "Look, I'm just a normal guy."

The kid stopped screaming and instead looked at him, but with utter fear in his eyes.

"You wanna hold onto this?"

The kid nodded and Peter dropped his mask which the kid caught. He seemed calmer with it in his hands.

"What's your name?" asked Peter.

The kid didn't answer, but he noticed a bag nearby with the name "Jack" written on it in marker.

"Jack?" Peter inferred.

"Yes," answered the kid.

"Alright, Jack, I'm gonna get you outta here." Peter slowly and carefully started crawling through the car to reach the kid.

"Alright," he answered.

"I gotcha." Peter reached the kid and got a hold on him. "I'm gonna unfasten the seatbelt, just hold on tight."

Peter counted down and released the seatbelt. He kept a hold on the kid who lurched forward, but didn't fall.

"That was pretty easy, huh?" asked Peter with a smile. "You did a great job.

That smile quickly disappeared as the car went up in flames around them. Peter's heart began to panic as he tried to figure out what to do. Before he could act, the flames reached the web holding the van and broke it, leaving the car to fall. Peter quickly shot another web and held the car from falling with one hand.

"Jack!" he called, "You've gotta climb!"

"I can't!" replied Jack fearfully.

"You can! Put it on, the mask. It'll make you strong."

Peter wished he had more strength and the car began to slip from his fingers.

"That's it, you're doing good!"

Peter prayed that someone would come to help. He needed it desperately. Suddenly, the car fell, along with Jack.

"No!" Peter cried.

He was reminded of Gwen Stacy in this moment. He remembered watching her fall towards the water and trying to save her. He remembered the desperate feeling of hoping she was alive as he pulled her up with the string of web that he had shot, only to find she was dead. For Peter, he wasn't watching a child named Jack fall, he was watching Gwen Stacy.

Before Peter could get a hold of himself and do something, a flash of light zipped by below and Jack was gone. Peter furrowed his brow and saw the now empty van continue its descent and hit the water with a giant splash. He then turned around to look up at the bridge, only to see Iron Man coming out of the sky with Jack in his arms.

"It's about time you got here," Peter muttered to himself as he began to climb up.

Once at the top, Tony handed him the mask from Jack and Peter slipped it on as fast as possible before someone could get a good look at his face. He sat crouched on the railing of the bridge while the father hugged his son to him in relief.

"Thank you," he told Peter and Tony.

"It's no problem," answered Tony as if it was truly nothing.

"What took you so long?" Peter then asked him when the father walked away.

Tony sighed irritably. "Fury wanted to send some agents to 'investigate.' I didn't agree so after some arguing I just took off. But I see you did fine on your own, webhead."

Peter smiled behind his mask, though he was still slightly shaky. He tried to push what had just happened out of his mind. It was a mistake and Tony had fixed it. All Peter had to do was make sure it never happened again, though he was worried that he would fail again.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Hey guess what, I'm not dead. What a relief, I know. I've just been loaded down with tons of crap lately. I joined National Honor Society, I'm going to state for Solo and Ensemble, my classes are coming to an end, I started writing my first novel, yadda yadda yadda. Anyway, on the bright side SERIES THREE BEGINS AND SPN HIAUTS ENDS AND THE HOBBIT COMES OUT THANK THE LORD.**

**Also, I hope some of you guys start picking up on something I've got in store. The first big hint is in this chapter. Sorry it's rather short, but at least it's something, right?**

**Kima Wolfwood: I'm really glad you liked it! I love Gwen and Steve moments too. Sorry there isn't much in this chapter.**

**LianaDare8: Woo I updated! And I agree, damn Tyr. I hope they find evidence too.**

**Phantom-Demon: Haha it's nice to know my story beats Queen. That's a helluva compliment. I'm glad you think I wrote Johnny correctly. I'm a bit worried about him.**

**stinkysox: Thank you very much! I'm really excited about the story lines coming together. It'll be cool (hopefully)**

**The Red Dove: Thank you so much! I love those words haha. How about assbutt? *laughs to myself at fandom joke***

**thesilversoldier: Thank you very much! :D**

**Hanna: Haha I love all of those guys too. Oh my God just imagine the X-Men being added to the MCU though like Fury would probably jump off a cliff. I totally understand. I've been working on writing a lot and hopefully descriptions/metaphors will improve. At least it's not like E. L. James *shudders* But thank you very much!**

**Itsgoose2u: I know right? So intense. I'm glad she's got Steve too, I sure hope things get better.**

**MysticRyter: Ugh I wanna see it so bad. I assume Steve swears every now and then. And it's rather attractive in my opinion :)**

**Ophelia Lokisdottir: I know right? It must have been how Harry Potter felt. Woo Minnesota! I've never been there, but my old orchestra teacher lives there.**

**all-star102938: Thank you so much! :D**

**jeffhardyluvsme: Wow thank you so much and welcome to the story!**

**rodgersonlygirl: Thank you very much, I'm glad you like it all! I'm sorry I tore your heart out. Extended exposure to Moffat's writing has that effect.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

Another day in Asgard brought about a crabby Gwen. She ate breakfast in silence and it seemed that no one cared. Neither Loki or Sigyn were present which brought about some inappropriate jokes from Fandral who was quickly shushed by Sif. Gwen could feel several people's eyes on her at different times, though her fellow humans looked almost sympathetic. Then there was Steve, who probably would have cut anyone who talked bad to Gwen to pieces. As much as she enjoyed his loyalty to her, it was slightly overwhelming in an already tense environment.

Breakfast was nearly over when Loki came strutting in through the doors, looking like he meant business.

"Heimdall has said that the mortals are wanted back on Midgard," he stated bluntly, coming to a stop at the table.

Thank God, Gwen thought to herself. She had never expected to think those words, but she didn't want to be in this situation a minute longer.

"Why?" asked Steve.

"That is all he said." It was obvious Loki wasn't going to elaborate. Gwen certainly didn't mind. She wanted out of Asgard as quick as possible.

It seemed Jane had a different opinion. "But we just got here!" she exclaimed. "We can't just leave!"

"It is by orders of Nick Fury," Loki replied smoothly. "I presume something has happened to make your presence necessary."

"Then it is final," came Odin's voice, echoing in the hall. "The mortals will return to Midgard."

After breakfast was finished, Gwen and Steve went back to their room to pack up their things. Gwen remained silent, though, listing things in her head that might require Steve having to leave the protection Asgard was providing. A majority of them involved Tony doing something stupid.

"I don't get it," she voiced aloud as she folded up a shirt around the drawings Steve had given her. "Why would they let us come here, but then drag us back so quickly."

Steve shrugged nonchalantly. "Are you protesting?"

"No." Gwen shook her head. "Something bad must of happened if they're willing to compromise your survival."

"Compromise my survival?" Steve snorted with amusement. "You've become quite the soldier."

Gwen playful punched his massive bicep. "Shut up."

Once everything was packed, the two met up with Jane, Darcy, and Erik in front of the palace. The same carriage that brought them there was waiting, the horses neighing impatiently as they kicked the ground with their hooves. Steve effortlessly lifted everyone's bags into the carriage while Jane and Darcy said goodbye to Thor and Fandral respectively.

"Gwendolyn!"

Gwen turned and, with utter surprise, was wrapped up in a hug by Sigyn. She noticed that the young Vanir smelled of some sort of flower and there was something that smelled distinctively like Loki.

"Um, thanks." Gwen wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but that didn't mean she didn't feel awkward.

"Be safe," was all Sigyn said as she pulled away. This clearly confused Gwen even more, so she simply nodded and climbed into the carriage after waving to the others.

* * *

It was Saturday. It was a day of relaxation and doing whatever his heart desired, though this was essentially the description for any other day of the week. But this was the weekend. A Saturday.

"Tony, get up!" called Pepper's voice from the master bathroom. "Director Fury said they'd be here at eleven!"

"I don't wanna get up," complained Tony and kicked his legs in a near tantrum and buried his face in his pillow like a five year old.

He heard the sound of Pepper's feet padding across the multi-colored carpet. He knew she wouldn't jump on the bed as he would if she was supposed to wake up, but Pepper always had many tricks up her sleeve. It was just a matter of time before she used another one.

"_Tony_," she pleaded one last time, "Doctor Richards really needs your help."

Tony picked up his head an squinted at his wife. "How come _he's_ called a doctor? Why am I not called a doctor?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Just get up and get ready."

Tony groaned in frustration and literally rolled out of bed, landing with a loud thump on the floor. He was not surprised when Pepper didn't return due to her being used to this reaction already. Tony then proceeded to slowly pull himself up and drag his feet to the bathroom to take a shower. After he was clean enough for his liking, though it may not have been up to Pepper's standards, he got dressed in a long sleeved shirt with a t-shirt over it, and jeans. He dragged his feet from the bedroom, searching for his wife.

"JARVIS, where is-"

"Mrs. Stark is waiting in the living room with the others, sir," responded JARVIS.

Tony didn't bother giving thanks and instead headed towards the living room. He really wasn't up for meeting new people, even if they were getting lots of publicity. He just wanted sleep for God's sake, was that so hard to understand?

Once he got to the living room, Tony noticed that nearly every Avenger that was present in New York was sitting there with the exception of Peter and Matt. Tony looked around for a moment to find Gwen, but remembered she was in Asgard. Tony sighed, his mood dropping even more. He was suddenly missing Gwen and her attitude with him. Hell, he was even missing Stars and Stripes.

"Mr. Stark, so glad you could make it," Fury greeted dryly as he stood in front of the fireplace.

"I'm sure you are," Tony replied. He eyed the unfamiliar four people sitting in his living room. He had, naturally, researched them all already therefore explaining his lack of surprise at the rock man. "Well, welcome newbies. Hopefully Fury has hazed you all already-"

"Tony," came Pepper's scolding voice from the couch next to Sue Storm. "I'm sorry, he's never in a good mood after he wakes up."

"Don't worry," Sue replied with a kind smile, "Johnny's the same way."

"I heard my name," said Johnny, looking away from Natasha.

"Anyway," began Fury with limited patience, "as you all know, this is Tony Stark. I'm sure he would be happy to help figure out what caused you all to change so dramatically."

"Yeah, about that," said Tony, "I'm sort of working on stuff and don't have a lot of room-"

"It will be at the Baxter Building."

"Like I said, I'm working on stuff and don't have time-"

"Make time."

"Fine." Tony turned to Reed. "Congrats on joining the team. Welcome to our dysfunctional family."

"There are a few others that aren't here at the moment," added Fury, "but they'll be here later today."

"Whoa, wait," said Bruce. "Why are they coming back?"

Before an answer could be given, someone interrupted them.

"Mr. Stark?"

Tony, as well as all of the others, turned around to see Amanda standing awkwardly by the open door with a clipboard in her hands.

"Yes, Ginger?" answered Tony.

"Um, Dick Roman called and said he wanted to speak with you and if you were busy he could talk to Mrs. Stark." She looked incredibly uncomfortable under everyone's gazes.

Amanda then took a deep breath as if this had been a mouthful. Tony assumed she was just nervous in front of so many people. Sometimes he forgot people could be like that.

"Thanks," he simply responded. "By the way," he looked at the Fantastic Four, "this is my assistant Amanda Bartels."

"Wow," said Johnny with a crooked grin, "who knew a pretty girl would be an assistant to Stark."

Natasha cleared her throat while Daisy gave Johnny a disgusted look.

Amanda, however, looked unfazed. "And who knew a man could think a girl would fall for that line."

Without another word, she left the room, leaving a stunned silence behind her until Ben started laughing.

"She just rejected you!" he said loudly.

"That was just playing hard to get," Johnny mumbled, clearly affected by an uncommon response. Tony thought it was hilarious and laughed along with Ben.

"So why are the others coming back?" asked Pepper who was not amused.

Fury sighed. "It'll be easier to tell everyone at once."

"How about you tell us now," Tony responded immediately.

"Sit down, Stark," said Natasha.

"I think we have a right to know, don't you?"

"Just trust me, Stark," said Fury.

Tony shook his head. "The last time I trusted you, we trusted you, we went through a funeral for a friend. You tell us what's going on."

"Wait, what friend?" asked Reed.

Tony paused, a bit surprised at what came out. "A damn good one."

Fury sighed, looking at the floor before lifting his gaze again. "I just don't want to repeat myself. It'll be easier to have you all here at once."

And just this once, Tony cooperated.

* * *

Heimdall inserted his sword in the center of the observatory and it began to spin. The bolts of lighting that were made inside it started flashing and Gwen could hear the Bifrost being opened. She closed her eyes as Heimdall fully inserted the sword and she and the others were sent back to Earth.

She opened her eyes when she felt ground beneath her once more. She smelled trees and spring air and could hear leaves rustling in the wind. They appeared to have landed safely at the Bifrost site on Earth. Steve was next to her, still holding her hand. In the other was their suitcase. It was completely silent for a moment except for the sound of nature until she heard a car coming up from behind them. She turned around and saw Phil stepping out in his trademark suit and sunglasses.

"Nice to see you all again," he greeted, though his voice sounded rather indifferent. "We'll be taking you to the mansion. There's some people we'd like for you to meet."

Gwen raised her eyebrows, but didn't question anything as she followed the others and got into the car.

* * *

The sky was clear as a commercial airplane flew through it. It flew over an ocean and soon would be over a series of islands. Inside the plan sat a young man with dark skin. He wore casual clothes instead of his normal baggy t-shirt and two-sizes too big jeans. He needed to look presentable out in public so as to not draw too much attention to himself.

To everyone around him, he couldn't be his nickname of "Snap," he needed to be Sam Wilson.

The plane jerked slightly, but a bit of turbulence was not anything to worry about. The same could not be said for the elderly businessman that sat next to Sam who fidgeted around in his seat like a fish out of water.

"Scared of flying?" Sam asked him, trying to act polite.

"More like scared of crashing," chuckled the man nervously, grasping the armrests tightly.

Sam didn't say anymore, not wanting to scare a nervous flyer. Instead, he turned his gaze out the window to look down below. They had to be getting close.

But then there was an explosion.

It was not incredibly loud, but loud enough for the whole plane to hear. Sam could hear people yelling and screaming, grabbing onto their loved ones as the plane began to descend without the pilot doing so. Sam's heart began to thump fast in his chest, realizing they were about to crash. The old man beside him was a pale ghost as he screwed his eyes shut with intensity. Sam closed his too, praying to someone, anyone, to save the plane.

And everything went black.


End file.
